


This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

by thesaltybitch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Emotional Dilemmas, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Human AU, Language, Loki and Thor Are Not Related, M/M, Night Manager AU, No Incest, Non-Graphic Violence, Sexual Content, Smut, Spy!Loki, Tension, bad guys win whatcha gonna do, bad!thor, guns & sex & violence, this ain't a scene it's a goddamn arms race
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 18:50:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21396970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaltybitch/pseuds/thesaltybitch
Summary: “So what should I call you on the ‘thank you’ note?”Loki froze. Thor turned around and smiled indulgently like a cat.“Is it Thomas? Or is it Loki?"Loki put the cigarette out in the snow, laughing it off lightly. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”“Oh, I think you do,” Thor said, he was still smiling but his eyes were hard. “So, I’m going to ask you one more time: which is it? Are you Thomas or are you Loki? Or are you somebody else entirely?”~Loki is a criminal on the run. When US authorities finally find him, instead of punishing him they offer him a deal: his freedom for help taking down the most dangerous man in the world.To do it, he'll have to get close to Thor Odinson, beloved by the public for his charity work and philanthropy, hunted by those who know him for his true colors, an arms dealer.When the lines between duty and loyalty blur, Loki struggles to choose between his freedom and something more dangerous; something he doesn't quite understand, with a man who could kill him as easily as he takes him to bed. But things are never easy when it comes to Thor—and time is running out.
Relationships: Loki/Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 64
Kudos: 215
Collections: Thorki Big Bang 2019





	1. You Know My Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friends! Welcome to the story that has been burning a hole in my hard drive for the past several months, I am SO pleased to finally be giving you a Thorki Night Manager AU for the Thorki Big Bang Challenge 2019! Big thanks to our [mods](https://twitter.com/thorkibigbang) for being the official cat herders for this and keeping us all in line. Thank you for putting this together!
> 
> For this project I collaborated with the lovely, the enthusiastic, and extraordinarily talented [Karu](https://twitter.com/likeTheSeed). I could not have picked a more amazing artist to work with and I'm so grateful we got paired up! She is responsible for all the beautiful art you will see along the way! Don't forget to follow her on twitter for more! 
> 
> It wouldn't be a fic from me if it didn't also include a recommended song or, in this case, a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2x2fzG1pzmB06cXNl8tWc9?si=YzNY0i1pTu-jWUmxt_wRhA%22) to go along with it. Not required, of course, but there if you should feel so inclined. 
> 
> _**NOTE: this is a multi-chapter fic with 4 chapters and an epilogue. I will post one (1) chapter every Tuesday until it is finished! Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/overlysalted_) for real time updates.**_
> 
> Thank you for reading and enjoy!

*

_i've seen angels fall from blinding heights_  
_but you yourself are nothing so divine_  
_just next in line_  
_arm yourself because no-one else here will save you_  
  


**/ Cairo, Egypt** **// 0800 EET**

How much dust could one person accumulate in a two mile walk into town in the middle of Cairo, Egypt? Loki Laufeyson had yet to answer the question in exact measurements, but his estimates after a year of experience put it at one metric shit ton, to be clinical about it.

He stood on the crappy tile floor of the employee shower and watched the red dirt swirl at his feet and vanish down the drain with the rest of the icy cold water. They had hot water, of course, but it felt good in the sweltering heat of a Cairo summer, regardless of the goosebumps that skittered across his skin. 

He turned the water off and stepped out.

“Mr. Laufeyson, good evening.” 

Loki smiled as he took his place behind the desk. “Evening, how do we look tonight?”

Freddie was an amiable fellow with dark, glittering eyes and a brilliantly white smile that took over most of his face. He looked harmless, he loved to play stupid, and he was a bit of a diva, but if Loki had to choose out of the day staff, Freddie was definitely his favorite. 

“We have three arrivals that will need transport arranged,” Freddie said, handing him the particulars. “Miss Alucard is one of them, so I took the liberty of securing that one driver she likes. Why she doesn’t just arrange private transport is a mystery to me,” he waved a hand as if the very thought exhausted him. “Also, you know how she likes a foot massage when she arrives—”

“Always,” Loki nodded, looking over her sheet. 

“Mmhm. Oh, and she’s apparently bringing the dog this time—I know, I made the same exact face when I found out—so I’ve already made arrangements for _that_ situation,” Freddie pointed to the spot on the page where the pet service was indicated. “But other than Miss Alucard, the rest are fairly straight forward.”

“I look forward to having my hands full tonight,” Loki shuffled the papers back in order.

“Oh honey, you wish,” Freddie murmured, turning back to the computer. “Speaking of you, you’re early today, what’s with that?”

“I overestimated due to the circumstances,” Loki said with a pointed glance outside. 

“Still walking in this mess, are you insane?” 

Freddie wasn't wrong to be concerned. Cairo was in the middle of political upheaval. Between the military patrolling the streets and the frequent protests (and sometimes riots), it was hard to predict exactly how much time it was going to take him to get from his apartment to the hotel every day. On a quiet day it would have taken him about forty-five minutes, but he hadn't made that kind of time in months. 

Loki glanced at him, amused, but he was saved the necessity of responding by a guest who approached the counter at that moment. 

She was tall and dark haired with a deeply set pair of eyes that Loki guessed didn’t miss a whole lot. Her dress was styled appropriately for the current fashion in Cairo, but it looked expensive and tailor made. Clearly she didn’t visit often and had enough money to hire a designer to provide her with a new wardrobe when she did. 

“Good evening, madam,” he said. “What can we do for you?”

The woman looked him over with a flicker of mild interest. “Mr. Laufeyson. I am in need of transport for tonight.”

“Absolutely,” Loki pulled up a tab with a list of transportation companies in good standing with the hotel. They were listed in descending order from most expensive to least. “Where would you like to go?”

She gave him the information and waited as he booked the car. As he did, he noticed she kept looking around, as if expecting somebody. The jewelry on her tinkled gently at the slightest movement; the earrings, the bracelets on her wrists, the rings on her fingers. They were designed to be understated, always a good choice when traveling, but they were clearly expensive and she wanted people to know it. 

“You are booked for a car at nine-thirty this evening, madam,” he said when he hung up the phone. “Your driver will meet you at the front entrance. May I have a name for the reservation, please?”

“Have him pick me up at the back entrance, if you would, please,” she said it in a way that made him think she didn’t get told no very often, if at all. “Charge the Hatshepsut suite,” she paused and looked at him steadily. “And you can put Hela Odinson on the reservation.” 

Loki watched her walk away, the fabric of her dress shimmering beneath the softened lighting of the hotel lounge. Just before she reached the elevators a small boy ran to greet her and her face broke into a smile. They disappeared into the elevator, the boy chatting animatedly. 

“She’s been in and out all day,” Freddie murmured behind him. 

Loki didn’t turn. “Spying on our guests, are we, Freddie?”

Freddie pretended to be horrified. “I would never. But I heard she’s _that_ kind of Odinson. Immediate family, if I’m not mistaken.”

Leave it to Freddie to have the freshest gossip on the guests. Loki preferred to get his information a little more covertly, but Freddie had a habit of simply asking people questions to their face. Not his style, but Loki had to admit that a brazen interest in everything and everyone was his coworker’s most endearing and valuable quality. It was also why he chose Freddie to keep him apprised of many things, both over and under the table. He was keen and quick on his feet, which made up for his not-so-subtle habit of snooping. 

Still, the fact that he'd learned about the Odinson link so quickly was impressive. Loki _had_ wondered about that. The name wasn't uncommon by any means, but if Hela _was_, in fact, part of the family Freddie was insinuating, then maybe she warranted a little more of his attention. He would have to do some research on their guest after all.

“Shouldn’t you be off the clock?” he asked.

“Oh, I am,” Freddie said with a quick grin. “But this was interesting."

Loki looked at him sharply. “Be that as it may, I seem to remember you have a very pressing matter to attend to tonight."

In other words, he had several pounds of product to move before daylight hours splashed back into the dusty air. They were friends, sure, but business partners first. And Loki took business very seriously.

“Yes, sir,” Freddie said, his face turned serious. "I'll keep you updated."

“Yes, you will.”

Loki watched him go and then turned back to the computer.

*

As it turned out, that was as quiet as his night was going to get. Once Freddie left, things, naturally, went to shit. Loki had several years in the business under his belt, so he wasn’t surprised by it, it simply reminded him precisely why he had prescription strength deodorant in his bathroom cabinet.

One of the drivers didn’t show for one of the arrivals and he spent a good hour arranging new transport. Once that was done, he called and had some severe words with the company that hired the tardy driver. He hung up after a scathing set of threats and then kicked them several spots down on the list of trusted taxi services.

Bastards.

Immediately after he fixed that, he shifted demeanors to welcome the other arrival whose car _hadn’t_ been late. He got them settled into their rooms and poured their wine for them, all effortless smiles. 

He couldn’t even catch a break after that because when he got back to the front desk he was called to the bar for an issue. The issue turned out to be a particularly rowdy guest. They had bouncers, of course, but the staff was required to call in management as a first resort. Loki wasted no time hauling the guest in question off the premises and then promptly comped the remaining guests a round of drinks to make up for the disturbance.

And then there was Miss Alucard. 

She was as demanding as she was pretty, and she was very pretty. Loki allowed himself a single, expansive sigh before resurrecting his most accommodating customer service persona and welcoming her to the hotel. 

He must have had some good energy out in the universe because everything went smoothly and she seemed quite pleased with her experience. Even the dog was docile. 

Loki left her in her suite with the massage team and a bottle of champagne on ice. 

Back behind the desk, he was contemplating death and what he must have been high on in order to voluntarily enter the service industry when he was interrupted by none other than Hela Odinson. 

“Mr. Laufeyson.”

“Miss Odinson,” he greeted her.

By all appearances she seemed to be at ease, but Loki saw through it at once. He saw it in the stiffness of her neck, the flash of her eyes beneath the gentle smile she offered him, and the grip she had on her son’s hand that looked just a little bit too tight.

She didn’t waste time pretending. “I am being followed and I need your assistance.”

“Certainly madam, I can contact the police for you—”

“Not the police,” she said delicately, reaching out to stay his hand before he could pick up the phone.

Loki’s irritation spiked, but more so his curiosity. He regarded her for a moment and removed his hand, but his mind was working quickly. If she was who he thought she was and she was on the wrong side of the wrong people it could easily turn into a massive problem for him. And he couldn’t afford to have a massive problem.

“Mama, do I need to get my backpack?” 

Hela hushed her son gently, pushing his hair from his forehead and dropping a kiss on his head before turning back to Loki. 

“I heard you are a man to talk to if I need to disappear quickly,” she said softly. “And I need to disappear quickly.”

Loki frowned.

He tried one more time, almost automatically. “Madam, if you are in danger, I assure you the police—”

“If you call the police, we will be dead before they get here,” she said calmly.

She said it with the finality of a woman who had accepted her death many times before. Loki hesitated for the barest second.

“Come with me.”

He motioned them behind the desk and shuffled them quickly through the employee entrance, leading them down the dimly lit hallway. Hela’s heels clicked loudly in the silence. Her son was quiet behind her. 

Loki swiped two small overnight kits from a service cart as they passed and handed them to Hela without a word. She accepted them gratefully.

The kitchens were hot and humid when they got there. 

“Youssef!” He spotted his friend and jerked his head. 

The man hurried over, his eyes flickering to Loki’s companions as he did. 

“You need a car?” Youssef asked perceptively.

Loki nodded. “As discreet as you can, my friend. Get them out, get them on a plane to nowhere. Anybody follows you, I want you to lose them, no matter how long it takes. Got it?”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson, of course.” Youssef was already untying his apron and motioning to Hela and her son. 

Hela gripped his arm and murmured a soft thanks. Then they were gone. 

Loki watched the door close behind them and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. It was the most excitement he’d seen in a long time—and he had lived through two coups. He was confident Youssef would be successful. He was a reliable man and one of five brothers who managed to keep their noses clean while providing services of the more illicit kind. Loki knew because he employed them for such services. He squinted briefly, a thought occuring that he would have to poke around and see who it was that had ratted him out to Hela. 

Whoever it was had a very bad day coming up, he would make sure of it.

He pushed his hands in his pockets and stood there for a moment, the adrenaline slowly disappearing from his system and leaving him feeling drained. 

When he resumed his position behind the desk his hands were steady and his job seemed more dull than ever.

*

It was sweltering when he woke in a cold sweat with his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He fought to slow his breath, his body still against the flimsy mattress. Unlike many people, Loki didn’t scramble frantically after a nightmare, in fact, other than a hitch in his breath, he didn’t move at all. It was all very purposeful, a practiced skill that had saved his life more times than he could count.

The air was stagnant and humid. Habit kept him still for a second longer before he allowed himself to move. He threw the light sheets off his legs and sat up, dropping his face into his hands and pushing his fingers into his hair, breathing deeply. Nightmares came and went, sometimes he went months without them, but they always came back. 

Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it now. He tucked the hilt of a large knife back under his pillow and pushed himself up out of the bed. 

The clock read 2:33pm which was a little early for him to be up, but he didn’t mind an early start sometimes. He splashed cold water on his face and gasped as it woke him up completely. 

He spent the next several minutes puttering around his small kitchen for breakfast, making sure to leave a small saucer of milk on the windowsill for the street cat that liked to sun itself on his roof. Charles—as he’d eventually come to call the friendly feline—managed to be the smartest, laziest creature Loki had encountered. A bastard in his own right. Sure enough, an orange head popped into the window as Loki slid his eggs onto a plate. He freed a hand to give the cat a quick pat on the head and then settled at the table to eat and catch up on some housekeeping.

He thumbed open his phone. 

It was a fairly expensive phone since he did most of his work while on the move, but he kept a couple burners on hand for the bulk of communication. There were only a few things in his inbox this morning.

First order of business was a confirmation that last night’s product had been shuffled out and distributed without issue. His jaw relaxed a little. It had been weighing on him. Normally he liked to oversee product distribution in some way, but it wasn’t always entirely possible. 

Of course, that was because he had adequately whipped his runners into shape. It was amazing what the human race could accomplish when adequately compelled and Loki had found the butt of a gun to the side of the head usually did the trick. Not that it always came to that, of course, he wasn’t a barbarian. Sometimes it was more effective to let his reputation speak for him. 

The message vanished as its self-destruct timer ran out. He typed out a quick memo to let Freddie know he could move production sites, encrypted it, and hit send. He would follow up on that later before work. 

He shoveled a couple bites of food into his mouth and moved on. 

There was an email from Baldr. He rolled his eyes and opened it up, skimming through the contents. His brother, bless his pure soul, was dumber than a can of soup. He was about to delete it, then sighed reluctantly and went back to reread more carefully, more out of a deeply ingrained sense of duty than anything. It would seem Baldr was at university now (interesting) and had a girlfriend that he was _very_ in love with (of course he was) and apparently, they were going to get married. Loki snorted.

The message ended with the usual questions about his whereabouts that turned quickly into begging him to come home. 

Loki exited the message with a sour taste in his mouth. Yes, of course he would love to go home, but he didn’t love to make a habit of dwelling on things he couldn’t have. 

Or something like that, anyway.

He would reply later. Something short and succinct but enough to keep Baldr out of his inbox for another six months or so. 

He angrily shoved more eggs into his mouth and nearly choked on them. An extra large swallow of coffee helped. He opened the final message. 

It was from Youssef letting him know Hela and son were safely out of Cairo. 

He forgot about his bitterness momentarily. He’d almost forgotten. The wood was rough beneath the pads of his fingers as he drummed them pensively against the table. The details surrounding the events of last night were vague and few, but he definitely knew where to start. 

The Odinsons. 

To the greater public, they were philanthropic gods. They made excessive donations to charity, built and funded schools internationally, and provided supplies and aid when disasters hit. Odin, father and head of their multifaceted corporation, had died a long time ago and that was the last Loki had really kept up with their story.

There had been a couple times where, by nature of his job, he’d flitted near the edge of something else that was operating just out of reach, in the shadows, if you will. But he’d never been close enough to know what it was. Every time he tried to find out, the leads had all dried up.

All he’d ever managed to find was a name. Once. And from unreliable sources, at that. He’d discarded the information at the time...

Loki retrieved his laptop from where it charged at his desk and fired up a search engine. If his instincts were correct, Hela was directly related to none other than:

_Thor…_

_O...d...i...nson._

He typed the name in and hit enter and got up to fix himself another cup of coffee. 

Charles was curled up under the ledge now, purring happily. Loki put his saucer in the sink and got the coffee creamer out of the fridge.

The results on Thor were extensive. Loki frowned as he sat down again and scrolled the first page. He might have underestimated exactly how much charity work Thor’s organization did. He scrolled further. Okay, Thor did a _fuck ton_ of charity work. Loki frowned and took a sip and clicked on one of the articles. 

Jesus. He squinted at it. 

Schools.

Health clinics. 

Ocean cleanups.

Conservation.

Clean energy.

This guy literally did it all. Loki felt his lips twitch, amused. It was clever, really, hiding in plain sight. How better to hide from the authorities than right under their nose, secured in part by sheer popularity. Clearly Thor got off on flaunting himself in the public eye, just out of the reach of the law that was always two steps behind him. It was masterful and frankly, irritating. If he was, indeed, the head of a large criminal underground then what the hell was Loki doing on the run from his own country when Thor Odinson was practically dancing for them. He clicked on a _TedTalk_ presentation from earlier that year.

Oh, it was Thor casually talking about a water purification system they had created for disaster relief services. Okay. Loki watched with growing annoyance. If that wasn’t bad enough, Thor was stunningly handsome in that confident, rich boy kind of way with a matching accent that fell pleasantly on the ears. No wonder he got away with it all, he was the physical manifestation of how to get away with murder. 

Loki shut the laptop with a sudden snap and pushed it away, slumping back into his chair, more depressed now than before. 

So, that was Thor Odinson.

Hela was definitely related, if not quite as well known. It was established that Odin had two children whom news stories loved to pit against each other in a battle for their father’s business, but come to think of it, Loki had never seen Hela associated with her brother’s brand after he took over. Once Odin passed, they simply melted into the background of another respectable company. 

It meant the siblings were sharp as whips.

Loki shook his head, finished his coffee and forced himself to put the Odinsons out of his mind.

*

“You have a phone call,” Freddie said as soon as he got to work that evening.

The other man looked a little harassed tonight, which was saying something. Freddie had been in the business for over a decade at this point, he was basically unflappable. Something about the tightness in his voice made Loki uneasy. 

“Who’s on the phone?” he asked, frowning.

“Don’t be a diva,” Freddie murmured, his fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard as he multitasked, the blue light from the computer reflecting onto his face. “I didn’t have time to ask, but she said her name was Natasha and she insisted on holding until you arrived.” He waved a hand. “Line one.”

Loki shot him a glare. They had an agreement, he didn’t take personal phone calls unless he had expressly said he was waiting for one. And he didn’t know anybody named Natasha. He picked up the phone anyway.

“Nefertiti hotel, thanks for holding.”

“Is that the night manager?” 

She had a low voice with a bit of a rasp to it. 

He frowned. “Yes, who’s speaking, please?”

“Nevermind that. You had a guest staying with you who left suddenly last night, I think you’ll remember which one.” 

Maybe his instincts weren’t so good at looking out for him as he thought they were. He stalled. 

“We have many guests, madam, I’m not entirely sure which—”

“Don’t play stupid with me, I know who you are and what you do,” she said matter-of-factly. “Now, if you’ll be so kind to let us know if you ever see Miss Odinson again, Mr. Laufeyson. There is a lot in it for you if you just make the call.”

“I’m not stupid enough to get wrapped up in an Odinson affair, ma’am.”

There was a low chuckle on the other side of the line. “You already are. Just give us a call.”

Loki snatched a pen and scrambled to write down the number she rattled off and then the line went dead. He put the phone back in its cradle and stared at the number.

“Please tell me that was super secret spy stuff,” Freddie said in his ear.

Loki folded the paper with one hand and swatted at him. “You really shouldn’t eavesdrop on private conversations. Mine, especially.”

“She called in on a company line,” Freddie gave a mock pout but moved away and put on his best customer service voice. “This call may be monitored for quality and training purposes.”

“Shut up.”

“So are you gonna do it?” Freddie pressed. 

“I’m not in the business of spying on guests, Fred.”

Freddie hummed. “You’re a shit liar.”

“I will have you sniped on the spot,” Loki shot back, annoyed. 

“Whatever. You love me.”

“Love is for fools,” Loki said dryly. “Now remind me what you’re doing for me tonight before I change my mind and put Youssef’s brothers to the test.”

Freddie grimaced. The brothers were anything but gentle. “Fine, I’m overseeing Aisha’s production setup. Why, is there trouble?”

“If there were any trouble it wouldn’t be any of your business,” Loki said flatly. “Don’t make me dislike you, Freddie.”

That earned him a sarcastic salute. “You got it, boss.”

“Get out.”

“Absolutely.”

*

_Loki smuggling Hela out of Cairo. Art by Karu._

*

**/ Zermatt, Switzerland** **// 1910 GMT+2**

Hela did show up again, eventually, and when she did, it wasn’t at the Nefertiti. Loki had long since moved on by the time he ran into the Odinson sister again, but he kept Natasha’s number all the same. His thumb hesitated over the keypad only briefly before he made the call. 

As he suspected, Natasha was US intelligence, part of a small division that had been after Thor Odinson’s arms trade for years. Loki felt no small sense of satisfaction to find out he’d been right on both accounts, about Natasha and about Thor’s true business ventures. 

Loki was only two minutes into the phone call when he understood what Natasha really wanted. He was being recruited.

He listened to Natasha speak with heightened suspicions. The US had been trying to catch him for years before he’d slipped abroad and written off ever going home again, he wasn’t keen to have established contact, let alone work with them. And Hela, it seemed, was just the surface of what Natasha wanted from him.

“You already have a foot in the door just by helping his sister,” Natasha explained. “If we can get somebody on the inside—”

“You’re insane,” he scoffed. “You’re lucky I’m still on the phone right now, and you think I’m going to come work for you?”

“Look, you’re not exactly my first option,” Natasha bit out. “So we’re both in a bind that way. Hear me out.”

“You’re desperate.”

“I’m offering you a clean slate,” Natasha said finally. “I have a judge willing to seal your records in exchange for your help taking Thor down, provided you don’t make contact with any of your old buddies when you’re back on US soil.”

It was dangerously tempting. Not that he didn’t love living abroad, he had seen amazing things and lived in the most beautiful of places, but there was something about being on his home turf that he missed terribly. He didn’t want to live a cultural outsider for the rest of his life but also, he was getting too old to keep running, plain and simple. 

“Convince me,” he told her. 

And she did. 

She didn’t have to do a lot of work, to be frank. He was already maddeningly curious about Thor. Whispers about him had gotten more frequent, even if the contents of those whispers stayed nebulous. Loki was more than over the service industry cover and this was about as exciting as it could get. 

“I’ll do it,” he told her.

That had been two years ago.

Spy work could also be excruciatingly slow work, as it turned out. But Natasha seemed confident they were on the right path. She had been after Thor for several years, after all, she was a master of patience.

Loki shook off the cold from his commute to their designated meeting place and let the waitstaff take his coat. He spotted Natasha from across the restaurant and walked over, dropping into the seat across the table from his tentative friend. 

“So this is how this is going to go,” Natasha said, finishing a text before looking up.

At least she waited for him to sit down before she started talking. He found out early on in their relationship that Natasha didn’t like to waste time. 

She looked exhausted, as usual, which he might have attributed to the nature of her work, but he’d chalk it up to the jet lag this time. The flight in from Washington had only arrived a number of hours ago. She looked good, though. It had been at least a year since they’d met in person and she hadn’t changed much; still sporting auburn hair that fell to her shoulders and expensive but understated athletic wear. 

“We’re relocating you to a hotel in Colorado.”

Loki raised his eyebrows. “You’re taking me stateside? Already? Talk dirty to me.”

She ignored him, sliding a thick folder across the table. “The Nell hotel. It’s one of Thor’s favorites and I know from a reliable source that he books it multiple times a year.”

Loki took the folder and flipped it open to scan the contents.

“Aspen,” he murmured appreciatively. “So, what happened to being on the US’s naughty list? I’m not supposed to have access for a good long while, surely I haven’t been that good.”

“I called in a couple favors,” Nat said casually. “Big favors, you know. I expect a very expensive thank you.”

“Your thank you is my help in taking down a known arms dealer, I think that’s more than fair,” Loki muttered, scanning through details. He snapped the folder shut and leaned forward. “When do I leave?”

“You’ll leave in the morning.”

Loki fiddled with the edge of the file and evaluated his boss carefully. She was sincere, for an intelligence operative.

“Remind me why you’re doing this.”

She smiled and took a long sip of water before responding. “You’re too smart to be playing such dumb games with me, Loki.”

“Okay, here’s the long version, then,” Loki said. “Tell me why you’re doing this because I need to hear it again. Not because I don’t know what you’re going to say, but because I want to watch your face as you say it.”

“Because?” she asked calmly. 

“Because the only thing I trust are my own two eyes,” Loki said. 

Natasha looked at him for a moment, as if deciding whether or not she would play along. Loki held her gaze evenly, pinning her to the spot until he saw something cave. 

“Fine, but this is the last time I’m saying this to you,” she said, leaning forward and meeting his gaze with her own sharp, green eyes. “I’ve been after Thor Odinson for most of my career. I’ve passed up promotions, other cases, and even better jobs in order to stay on his ass and not once have I ever gotten this close.” She paused and her face was calm but Loki could see her heart beating rapidly along the side of her neck. “I’m doing this because you are the closest I will ever get to him and by god, I’m going to take that shot if it kills me.”

Loki let a moment pass between them before asking, “and why him? Why Thor Odinson?”

“Because,” she leaned back. “Because he is the worst man in the world and I won’t be able to sleep until I know I have done everything I possibly can to take him down.”

Translated: she had a personal stake in it. 

Loki considered her. She was hardly naive and she was a formidable opponent to have. Even from what little Loki knew about her, he knew she could be ruthless and downright manipulative when she wanted to be and she was very, _very_ good at it. 

She was also all heart.

He had one more question. “Do you trust me to get the job done?”

She smiled wanly. “So help me God, I have to.”

It was enough. Loki leaned back in his seat and the tension lifted. “Well, let’s do this then.”

Her brow twitched in amusement. “Alright, the usual, since you seem to have forgotten a few times,” she glared pointedly. “You are not to engage in any illicit activities while you are stateside or the deal is off. No contact with your family, no loved ones, nothing. Not until this is over. Do you understand?”

“I don’t have loved ones, remember?” Loki drawled. “Don’t worry, I won’t pass go or collect two hundred dollars.”

She grinned and tossed a packet at him and he slipped it into his backpack. Bona fides and travel particulars. 

“Six AM,” she said. “We have a car waiting for you at the airport in Denver. It’s a three hour drive to Aspen from there, four if there’s traffic.”

“What am I driving?”

She smirked. “Well, it’s not an Aston Martin, if that’s what you’re asking. We want you to blend in, remember?”

“Ugh, if it’s a bike I’m not going.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “You know the rest of my people refuse to work with you for this reason, right? You’re absolutely insufferable.”

Loki grinned cheekily at her. 

“Loki, look at me,” she got serious again. “This is about to get very uncomfortable for you. I need you to understand _exactly_ what you’re getting into because once you’re in, we burn the bridges and you’re in it for good.”

Loki exhaled irritably through his nose. “Yes, Natasha, I have been fully informed. Overly informed, in fact. You might even say I’m so completely informed that we could stop discussing it right now and I could finally order myself a fucking drink.”

She snorted, but his answer seemed to satisfy her and she sat back with a wave of her hand. Loki grinned and motioned the waiter over.

*

**/ Denver International Airport** **// 1628 MST**

It was a Subaru. 

It wasn’t enough that he was gallivanting around under the name “Thomas” but they insulted him with this. A fucking Subaru Outback which, additionally, they had found important to outfit with both a ski rack and a bike rack. Loki pursed his lips, spinning the keys around his finger and feeling highly entitled about the whole thing. 

Apparently Natasha’s team didn’t do their research because he didn’t do outdoor sports. The last bike he’d been on was a crotch rocket, a Yamaha R6 that he’d sent it flying over the edge of a ravine at a breathtaking number of miles over the speed limit back in 2012. He’d had the good sense to let it go before it took him over the edge as well. His shoulder still made weird clicking noises sometimes, but otherwise he hadn’t sustained any other lasting injury. 

He stayed away from bikes now.

By the time he exited the parking garage he understood. Subarus outnumbered any other vehicle ten to one and there were just as many ski racks as there were bike racks. Incredible. 

Maybe Natasha’s team had done their research after all. 

He floored it onto the highway and into the fray. Traffic was insane and the drivers were aggressive, but for the first time in a very long time he felt alive, elated to be back at home. A smile tugged at his lips and by the time traffic spread out and he finally hit the speed limit he was all-out grinning. 

He rolled down the windows, turned the music up until he couldn’t hear his own thoughts, and let the crisp, mountain breeze whip through his hair as he screamed down the highway. He made the drive in record time, but it was dark when he finally pulled into the small parking lot behind his apartment complex around ten thirty, he was beaming, refreshed and exhilarated. 

Aspen was a cute little mountain town that lit up softly at night and looked like a fairy tale. According to Natasha, it was a dream getaway for outdoors enthusiasts and a remote escape for celebrities alike. The apartment complex was small but quiet. The lady at the front desk told him the units around him were privately owned and stayed mostly empty until ski season started up in the winter, which was just as well. He was more than ready for the quiet and the space. 

Natasha had sent a gift ahead in the form of a very nice bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a few fingers and took it out to the balcony to enjoy it. The stars winked down at him, bright and vivid in the almost complete darkness that surrounded him. He hated to wait, but if it had to be done, this was hardly a bad place to do it.

*

Six months.

It was six months of waiting before the reservation finally came through. When it finally did, his body went into overdrive and short circuited his brain. 

“Sorry, what?” He blinked.

He had completely missed everything his coworker said in the last two minutes.

“Dude, your late arrival?” Mona shook the welcome packet under his nose. “Thor visits every so often and he’s _really_ picky so just make sure you check the list really well before he gets here.”

Loki took the packet she’d given him and reorganized his brain rapidly. “Right, late arrival.”

Mona raised a brow. “Yeah. Oh, and I had some extra time so I already double checked the rooms and deep cleaned the pool. Full offense, but boys don’t know how to fucking clean.”

“Thank god for you,” Loki hummed in agreement. Their pool boys left quite a bit to be desired, but fortunately Mona was an act-first-questions-later kind of person and she was as neurotic as they came. He paged through the welcome packet. “Anything else I should know about?”

Mona stared at him and he knew she was deciding whether to hold her tongue or to launch into a full-scale rant. He had been present for exactly two of those rants at this point and he wasn’t keen on a third, but—

“Oh, just spit it out,” he said irritably. “You’re going to say it anyway.”

“You know what, that’s fair,” she shrugged. “You should know that Thor travels with an entourage. I trashed the writeup they gave you on this group because it was absolute garbage. Here’s what you need to know—”

She went into an incredibly detailed rundown of every single member of Thor’s team down to how much champagne they liked in what glass and who she thought was the most creepy. Loki listened with half an ear. Even though his heart was beating rapidly in his throat and refused to quit, he was confident he’d be able to handle this bunch. 

Mona snapped her fingers in front of his nose. 

“Thomas!” she was glaring. “I can stop giving you this life saving advice if you want me to, I can always leave.”

“I was listening,” Loki said defensively. 

She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Prove it.”

Loki rattled off details and her face softened as he spoke. It was only the difference between a resting bitch face and a glare, but it was a difference nonetheless. 

“You know what, I was ready to rip you a new asshole, but you really pulled through,” she cuffed him on the shoulder enthusiastically. “Good for you.”

Loki snorted as she shrugged out of her work blazer, revealing multiple tattoos in various states of completion. They were supposed to wear collared white shirts underneath the burgundy jackets, but she consistently got away with wearing a plain, white v-neck tee every day. 

He began to outline his evening in order of what needed to happen between now and Thor’s arrival. He was about to put on the show of his life, he should at least be somewhat organized beforehand. 

“Bye!” Mona said, waving brightly at him as she wheeled a pink and teal road bike out from the break room.

Loki nodded at her shortly and the last thing he saw was the goofy child’s backpack in the shape of an owl disappear out the doors. 

The time passed all too quickly and by the time Thor was supposed to arrive even Mona would have been impressed with his cleaning job.

They traipsed into the hotel one by one as if they owned it and for all Loki cared, they could have.

He recognized Hela instantly. She was as tall and graceful as ever. She and her friend immediately sat in front of the fire to warm themselves. Winter in the mountains was harsh anywhere in the world.

And then there was Thor. 

Loki felt his breath catch in his chest. Thor was tall and broad with hair that could only be described as sunny. He had taken off his hat when he walked in the door and it fell forward onto his face and somehow looked like art. It was like looking into the sun.

Loki’s heart beat heavily in his chest and he could have sworn the entire room could hear it. He was too old to be flustered by something as pedestrian as looks and yet here he was.

“Welcome to _The Nell_, sir,” he said as his mouth remembered how to form words, smiling. Hopefully it didn’t sound as distracted as he was. 

Thor looked at him and that's when Loki forgot how to breathe entirely. 

“Ah yes, we’ve booked some rooms here for the night,” Thor said with a smile, his voice was low and rumbled pleasantly in Loki’s ears. “Quite a lot of them, actually.”

“We’re so glad to have you, Mr. Odinson,” Loki said automatically, extending his hand out of habit. Thor took it in his own massive hand. It was very warm. “My name is Thomas, I’m the night manager.”

Thor’s gaze flickered over him. His eyes were blue. “Where is Mister Mascovitch? Getting too old for this job already, I assume.” 

He chuckled and his cohorts joined in. Loki allowed his eyes to wander, if only for a second. Two in group were unmistakably bodyguards, he knew the look all too well.

“Mister Mascovitch is no longer with The Nell, unfortunately,” Loki said apologetically. “But I will be happy to show you to your rooms.”

“So you’re the replacement, then,” Thor’s eyes were still on him.

He fought the urge to fidget.

“Valkyrie,” Thor called to the woman who was at the front desk getting them checked in with one of Loki’s nighttime coworkers. “You’re certainly taking your time.”

“Piss off, your majesty,” she responded without looking up. 

“So, Thomas, how long have you been here?” Thor turned back to him thoughtfully. It sounded like a threat. “You weren’t here last time, right Carol?”

One of the bodyguards he’d picked out earlier stepped up with a suspicious tilt of her head. 

“No, he wasn’t.”

“I’ve only been here six months,” Loki answered. 

Thor pinned him with an intense look. “Really? And before that?”

“Uh, Switzerland, sir.”

“And before that?”

“Before that I was in Italy and beyond that, Tangier.”

Thor didn’t look convinced, but Loki was saved the trouble of explaining by Valkyrie interrupting him with their keys. 

“Excellent,” Loki smiled. “Allow me to show you to your rooms.”

There was the general rustle of expensive fabric around him as the party shuffled to follow him up the stairs. 

“Don’t I know you?” Hela’s voice matched her brother’s, low and melodic. 

She was looking at him expectantly. Loki blinked shook his head imperceptibly. 

“I don’t think so, madam, I would remember meeting you,” he said calmly. 

Hela caught his meaning and chuckled. “My mistake, you look like a dear friend who helped me out in Cairo last time I was there.”

Loki let out a slow breath and smiled again. “This way, please.”

*

As soon as he left Thor and company in their rooms, the bile rose in the back of his throat. Loki nearly tumbled down the stairs in his haste to get to the small employee bathrooms, bruising his shin in the process, but he made it in time to heave violently into the small toilet.

He rinsed his mouth out and splashed his face with water and stared at himself in the mirror. 

What the fuck was he doing? This wasn’t his area. He didn’t even have a vendetta against this Odinson person and even if he did, it would be a mad case of the pot calling the kettle black. He didn’t care about taking down an arms dealer. Hell, he’d run drugs, he’d washed money, he had done any number of illicit jobs and done them all with little to moral setback. 

Maybe that drama class in high school had been for something after all.

He dried his face, swished his mouth out with a small bottle of mouthwash from behind the mirror, and gathered his composure before stepping back into the back hallway and making his way to the small door that led outside. 

The cool evening air helped substantially. Loki breathed it in and let his head fall back to look at the stars. Just a few more minutes and then he’d go back inside.

“I always did love the view here.”

Thor’s voice was easy to recognize. Loki gave himself a mental pat on the back for not jumping out of his skin. He hadn’t even heard him approach. 

“It’s really something,” he agreed. 

Thor hummed and walked over to him, pulling out a cigarette. He lit it, took a drag, and then held it out to Loki. 

“Go on, you look like you need it.”

Loki glanced at him and plucked it from his fingers. “Thanks.”

Thor chuckled and tucked the lighter back in his pocket. “Most people wouldn’t smoke in front of a paying customer,” he cast Loki an admiring glance. “Good for you.”

Loki was silent. 

“So what’s your story, Thomas,” he said the name with a little more emphasis. “Have you always been the night manager?”

It felt like a trap. 

“Yes, sir, it’s my job.”

“Have you got a lover?”

Loki drew a deep breath and let smoke stream from his nostrils. “No.”

“All alone, then,” Thor mused. “I guess that would make sense.”

He leaned forward along the railing in front of them and fell silent. Loki turned his head and blew more smoke up into the air. 

Thor spoke again at length. 

“So what should I call you on the ‘thank you’ note?” 

Loki froze. Thor turned around and smiled indulgently like a cat. 

“Is it Thomas? Or is it Loki? I would be horrified if I didn’t thank you properly for helping my sister out of such a delicate situation back in Cairo.”

Loki put the cigarette out in the snow, laughing it off lightly. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do,” Thor said, he was still smiling but his eyes were hard. “So, I’m going to ask you one more time: which is it? Are you Thomas or are you Loki? Or are you somebody else entirely?”

Loki held his gaze. “I think you should go, sir.”

“My apologies, is this uncomfortable for you?” Thor said, pushing away from the rail and walking over until he was just inches from Loki’s chest. “Do you feel threatened?”

Thor was taller than him by a few inches and much broader than he’d originally thought. Loki swore he could hear his heartbeat thundering in his chest, but he stood his ground. If he fucked this up, things would go south quicker than he could blink, but he found that the prospect didn’t scare him at all.

It thrilled him.

“Not at all, sir,” he tilted his head up with a small smile. “I do, however, tend to prefer a little more personal space.”

Thor’s eyes glimmered, but he seemed amused. “You’re all steel aren’t you, little snake?”

Loki could feel the tension hum through the air around them. If he wanted to he could have reached out and touched it. He didn’t dare to move.

Then, as suddenly as it had happened the tension vanished and Thor stepped away with an easy smile. 

“See you in the morning, stranger.”

He chuckled and vanished back into the hotel. 

It was a long time before Loki caught his breath again.

*

He called Natasha later on the phone she’d given him.

“Well, that took no time at all,” she said in her trademark low rasp. It sounded like she was outside. “This is good. You showed him you’re slick under pressure, it’s points in your favor.”

“Bait and hook, baby,” Loki said. 

Natasha laughed humorlessly. “Careful reeling that one in. And be ready to see your name plastered across the continent, wanted poster style.”

“Yeah, alright,” Loki pushed to hard with his pen and broke through the paper he was doodling on.

“Well, what are you still doing on the line,” she asked. “Don’t you have a job?”

Loki rolled his eyes and killed the call. He had only been in the states for half a year and he was already dreaming of living here without Natasha on his heels every other day. Regardless, it was good to be back on US soil. 

When he returned to the desk, Hela was there in the lounge, barefoot and in a bathrobe, flipping through magazines in front of the fire. 

“Can I get you anything, madam?” he asked, almost automatically. 

Hela smiled at him. “It’s always nice to see a friendly face. How are you, Mr. Laufeyson?”

“Listen, I know you think you know who I am,” he said seriously. “But I’d prefer if you call me Thomas.”

“Of course, my mistake,” Hela said easily. “You’re quite the odd little bird, aren’t you?”

“It takes a certain personality to be a night manager, yes.”

“So it would seem,” Hela didn’t try to hide the fact that she was picking him apart with her eyes. Apparently, boldness ran in the family. “Is the pool open?”

Well, it was now. 

“Give me one moment.”

He let her swim. Part of being a luxury hotel was providing literally anything paying guests might need. Again, he wondered how he had ended up in the service industry when being accommodating was so far from his natural alignment. 

Oh yes, the contacts. 

Kitchens had the best contacts. Maybe not the most reliable, but you just had to know how to read a person and he was good at reading people.

He went about the rest of his shift in relative silence. 

When morning finally came it brought pink and orange skies, splashing across the horizon in broad strokes of color. Mona showed up to relieve him just in time for him to step outside and enjoy the view. He lit up a cigarette and watched the light gradually warm the earth, letting it fall across his face and warm that too. The sun here was so much more intense than other places he’d been.

He thought maybe of all of them he loved the mountains the most.

“Still out here looking at the sky?” 

“As much as I can,” Loki responded, squinting as Thor approached. 

He was dressed elegantly, a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on his nose. It all felt so normal, so casually evil. Not that Loki was in a position to judge anybody, but if Thor was who they said he was, he sold destruction and drank to his own good health afterward. 

“Thought any more on my question, little snake?” Thor asked, looking down at him with that penetrative gaze, even through his gold-colored lenses. “About what to call you?”

Loki stared back at him and pulled in a lungful of smoke. He let the breeze carry it away from them. 

“Ah, you are a bold one,” Thor smiled slowly and predatorily.

Loki almost quirked a smile in return. “I’m not on shift.”

“Then you’ll let me buy you a drink, won’t you?” It wasn’t a question. Thor turned away and walked towards the hotel, pausing at the door to wait. 

Loki put his cigarette out and followed him inside.

*

The tension didn’t leave his shoulders until he was locking the door to his apartment behind him. It had taken several drinks and a lot of cagey bullshit, but his foot was officially in the door.

His hands shook as he poured himself a glass of water and drank it all in one go. Thor was an enigma and Loki didn't trust him for shit. The other man was cold and hard as steel, but the more he talked to him, the more sincere and warm he got. It was as confusing as it was suspicious. Fortunately for Loki, it seemed the younger Odinson truly put infinite value in his sister’s opinions and she had convinced him that Loki was a necessary addition to the team. Loki didn't trust her either.

Siblings at war? His whole entire ass. They would rule the world together one day if somebody didn't stop them.

Loki laughed shakily in the empty apartment and took his phone out. Time to watch his name burn for the second time in his life. His heart gave a pang as he typed out a short message to Natasha and sent it. He allowed himself to wonder, for possibly the first time in his life, if he would ever reach a point where he settled down and stopped running. In the event he succeeded, this job would give him exactly that.

But peace and quiet was everything Loki didn't want. Like his bike, he had always chased the things that made his heart pound. What did Natasha think he was going to do after it was all said and done, put his feet up and watch the news? Go to brunch? Hell. If things went his way, he'd be back up and running in no time.

It reaffirmed his original decision. He wanted his citizenship back, he wanted his life back, and this was as good a deal as he was going to get.

He took his phone apart and destroyed the pieces, then yanked the curtains shut and fell into bed.

~*~

_if you think you've won you never saw me change_  
_the game that we've all been playing_  
_i've seen diamonds cut through harder men_  
_than you yourself_  
_but if you must pretend_  
_you may meet your end_

*

  
  


_Loki smokes with Thor outside the Nell. Art by Karu._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Art by [Karu](https://twitter.com/likeTheSeed), whom I can't say enough good things about. 
> 
> \- Lyrics from [You Know My Name by Chris Cornell](https://open.spotify.com/track/4MR9iW77LJoPPDjwAYbIZZ?si=od3chqH4R8-GdFxaron66g). 
> 
> -Don't forget this updates every Tuesday! Updates will be posted on [the bird site](https://twitter.com/overlysalted_). 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	2. The World Is Not Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“What do you want to know?”_
> 
> _Thor spread his hands magnanimously. “Tell me about yourself. What makes Loki Laufeyson the night manager?”_
> 
> aka
> 
> Loki spends a lot of time getting to know Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday, friends!
> 
> Enjoy!

_i know how to hurt_  
_i know how to heal_  
_i know what to show_  
_and what to conceal_  
_i know when to talk_  
_and i know when to touch_  
_no one ever died from wanting too much_

*

**/ Aspen, Colorado** **// 0703 MST**

Thor sent Valkyrie to collect him for brunch the following morning. She looked smart and luxurious in a sharply tailored suit that made her seem about eight feet tall despite being quite a lot shorter than him. 

Loki resisted the urge to grin from behind his apartment door. He had purposefully avoided giving Thor his address and, true to his predictions, here Valkyrie was, bright and early and unprompted. It told him many things, but most importantly it told him that Thor Odinson was a fucking show off.

And Loki loved a show off.

“His majesty has requested your presence,” Valkyrie said without preamble as soon as he opened the door. Unlike her boss, Valkyrie didn’t have to hide her thoughts on him. Her opinion was exceptionally clear in the way she looked him over like he was a particularly distasteful chore.

“Does his majesty understand the wonders of modern technology? A phone call would have been considerably less effort,” Loki said pointedly, unintimidated despite the fact she could very well kill him in the blink of an eye and make it look like an accident. He rolled his eyes when she looked murderous. “You can relax, I’m coming.”

He shut the door in her face. He pulled on a good pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt and bundled up inside a warm peacoat with a scarf. Val hadn’t waited at the door and he found her sitting inside a sleek, black Corvette that was sending clouds of exhaust into the chilly morning air. 

He slid into the passenger side. “So, where are we going?”

Valkyrie ignored him and floored it out of the parking lot. 

The answer to his question happened to be a small brunch place downtown. Valkyrie escorted him inside and up the stairs to where Thor and Hela were seated. She retreated back downstairs to join her cohort (Carol, if he remembered correctly) on guard duty.

“Loki, welcome,” Hela said, rising instantly to greet him with a peck on the cheek. 

She smelled like an expensive floral cologne, the kind that was light and pleasant and gave the illusion of a calm, sunny day in a garden. She drifted back into her own seat beside her brother and Loki took a seat on the other side. 

“Glad you could join us,” Thor rumbled, looking infuriatingly magnificent and relaxed in his seat, his hair soaking up the golden rays of the sun. 

Loki smiled thinly. “I didn’t seem to have much of a choice.”

“Nonsense, Hela wouldn’t miss you on her way out,” Thor waved him off. “And the breakfast here is excellent.”

“He means about Val, Thor,” Hela said. “You know how she gets.”

Loki raised his eyebrows at her over the rim of his coffee mug. She met his gaze evenly, cool behind her soft demeanor. He suspected she was much sharper than even he gave her credit for.

Thor had already moved on, uninterested. “Loki, what do you think about Taos, New Mexico?” 

“I’ve never been,” Loki said.

“Good, you’ll love it,” Thor smiled sunnily through a bite of buttered toast, somehow managing to look more like an overly enthusiastic child than a dangerous arms dealer. “You’ll be coming with me for the next several weeks, you’ll be able to explore to your heart’s content.”

Loki watched him chase his eggs around his plate with a spoon and winced as the metal squeaked against it. He handed him a knife without thinking, which Thor accepted without comment. Hela hid her smile in her mimosa. It was all a bit uneasy, like he was being signed up for a hazing without his knowledge. But he knew and that was exactly what this was. A chance to prove his worth.

“Was that Valkyrie’s idea?” he asked quietly. 

Thor’s eyes flickered up. “You’re very sharp, you know. But yes, certain members of my party need more convincing of your,” he paused and waved his fork around ambivalently. 

“Character?” Loki supplied helpfully. 

“Yes, your character,” Thor’s grin widened. “I like you just fine, Loki, but other members of the party need convincing.”

“Thor, stop,” Hela said with a quirk of her eyebrow, turning to look at Loki. “Your help in Cairo set a precedent, you have nothing to worry about. A vacation is just what the doctor ordered. Besides, my brother is excited to get away from his PR man for a while.”

Thor shrugged but didn’t argue with her. “He is a bit much, isn’t he, old Fandaral.”

Hela’s amusement caught in the corners of her eyes as she leaned back into her chair. Something about the way she exchanged glances with Thor put Loki on edge. He smiled through his teeth and finished his coffee. 

Thor pushed his plate away and checked his watch. “Well, love, I think that’s you, isn’t it?”

Hela hummed affirmatively and rose to her feet. She squeezed Loki’s shoulder warmly, gave Thor a kiss on the cheek, and left them alone at the table.

It was only then Loki noticed how quiet it was around them. Evidently, Thor had bought out the entire top deck of the restaurant that morning and Loki had thought nothing of it until it was only the two of them sitting at the table.

The sun fell in little slats of light along the worn wooden floor. Loki tipped his chair back slightly so that the shade of the trellis overhead fell across his face and shielded his eyes, even though he had sunglasses on. 

“So, tell me, Loki,” Thor folded his hands together and leaned his elbows into the table. “What are you good at? Let’s get to know one another.”

It was an innocent enough question, but Loki already knew better. Any question from Thor may as well have come hooked up to a polygraph. There was no innocence here. 

Thor tilted his head and Loki knew he was watching him carefully. Everything was a game with him now, one wrong move and he was off the board. For good. 

Loki studied him from the relative safety of his own sunglasses. He himself existed in the gray area of morality, but he would still say he fell squarely in the realm of a "bad guy," if that were such a thing. He wasn't stupid, he knew exactly what he was. Thor, on the other hand, was enigmatic and unpredictable, the kind of man that you would believe no matter what he told you, no matter how absurd. A dangerous combination.

Loki pushed his hands in his pockets and looked out towards the mountains. 

“What do you want to know?”

Thor spread his hands magnanimously. “Tell me about yourself. What makes Loki Laufeyson the night manager?”

Loki breathed evenly through his nose. By now he knew that Val had performed a background check on him, and an extensive one at that. Thor knew very well hotel work was the least of Loki’s talents. 

He wanted a self-assessment. 

“Well,” he began. “I’m a Gemini. I like books, long walks on the beach, deep conversations, and—”

“Deflecting personal questions,” Thor finished for him quietly. 

Loki looked at him sharply but Thor was no more threatening than he had been moments before, he simply looked bemused with the corners of his mouth tipped up the slightest bit. 

“I’m not used to talking about myself,” Loki admitted honestly.

“No. But you wouldn’t be, would you?” Thor said easily, as if he’d expected it. He dipped into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and put one between his lips and handed another to Loki. “Not in your line of work.”

Loki had learned early on the more truth you could weave into your story, the more integrity it had and the more easily you could pull from it later.

The lighter clicked and a gentle flame danced next to Thor’s thumb. Loki leaned forward to catch it with the end of his own cigarette and pulled an easy breath in. 

“You might get a better answer if you told me what you’re looking for,” Loki told him.

“Ah, that would be cheating wouldn’t it,” Thor smiled and smoke curled up around his face. “But I’ll make an exception today, why not. I’m looking for your weaknesses, Loki, everybody has at least one,” he made a small gesture with his hand. “I can tell you yours right now. Hell, the US government knows your biggest weakness.”

Loki felt his pulse speed up.

He didn’t know, did he?

“You’re a nonconformist, like me,” Thor said with a chuckle. “It’s like a damned curse. Can’t sit still for more than a minute, you and me.” 

Loki took a heavy drag on his cigarette and let the nicotine mix with relief. “I never cared for staying stagnant.”

“Me neither,” Thor said. “It’s what gets us in trouble.”

He seemed lost in his own world for a moment, perhaps reliving the times when being such a person had gotten him in trouble. Loki shifted uncomfortably as his own memories nipped at his heels, reminding him acutely of his own goals. 

“I’m good under pressure,” he said finally. “I have a level head and I don’t panic often or openly. The only reason I have a record is because I was an idiot as a teenager and the only reason I have anything on me within the last five years is because there was a bad egg,” he spoke succinctly, but not so quickly as to appear desperate. “I have a knack for picking up languages and I can talk my way out of anything.”

Thor sat passively, just listening. Loki couldn’t be entirely sure whether he’d fallen asleep behind his glasses with the way his cigarette hung limply from his fingers, the ash building at the tip and beginning to wilt.

“I’m also great with parents,” he added mildly, possibly to fill the silence, he couldn’t be sure.

“So, you have the gift of tongue, then,” Thor said chuckling a bit, stirring with a practiced flick of his thumb. Ash fluttered to the ground and he brought the dwindling stub to his lips again.

“Put me on a job,” Loki suggested. “It’s the fastest way to see if I’m what you’re looking for or not.”

He ignored the twinge of anxiety that shot through him as Thor’s razor sharp baby blues raked over him from behind his sunglasses. He squirmed a bit under the scrutiny. His job was to impress this man and it would be very painful and probably fatal for him if he failed, sure. But what made him squirm was the realization that maybe he wanted to impress him purely because he wanted the validation from him.

Some part of him wanted Thor to like him and it wasn’t out of self-preservation.

Thor smiled at him with all the reassurance of a viper poised to strike. “You're an eager one, aren't you? I know you’re good for it, little snake.”

Loki bristled slightly at the use of the nickname but Thor didn’t seem to notice. He reached into his jacket for a thick envelope, yellow and just barely large enough for its contents and tossed it across the table. 

“Your particulars, I assume you know what to do.”

Loki tucked it into his jacket and tilted his head back to send a stream of smoke past his lips and into the sky where it curled and drifted away on the clean mountain air.

*

Thor’s entourage dipped drastically in numbers once they left Aspen. Most everyone flew to Spain where they would catch up to them later.

Loki, as promised, stayed behind with Thor to attend to some business. Thor had hinted he would be putting him on a job, but he didn’t know a whole lot about what he was going to be doing. Thor may claim to trust him based on a vague number of reasons and a self-proclaimed ability to pick people of quality, but Loki was prepared for the worst. 

He wasn’t concerned though, surprisingly. It was exactly what he would have done in Thor’s position, although his methods of vetting were usually much less lengthy and a lot more...punchy. 

He certainly never took roadtrips with prospective employees.

Loki drove. Thor didn’t need to say anything for him to know he wasn’t the kind of person who drove himself unless he felt particularly inclined. It was just as well, really, as Loki loved to drive. 

It was of particular interest to him what Thor might be like on a road trip. The answer? Surprisingly laid back. He was much less intimidating without the bodyguards and the rest of his expensive entourage. Loki drove fast. He let the wind card through his hair when they slowed down through some of the little towns along the way, but otherwise the windows were up and Thor was rolling through an extensive, rather eclectic playlist. 

What Thor _wasn’t_ was talkative, which meant Loki spent the better part of the eight hour drive lost in his own thoughts. He stole a glance at his companion who had fallen asleep in the passenger side. Thor looked for all the world like some dumb rich boy who spent his daddy’s money drinking his life away on a yacht.

Loki wondered what it would be like to see the real Thor, the one that Natasha said was the worst man in the world. It was hard to get a read on him, honestly. He’d seen a little bit, and hell he could definitely feel it—a sharpness to the energy that electrified the air wherever he went—but he had yet to get a full understanding of the darkness, the cunning, and the evil he supposedly possessed.

Then again, Loki himself had never seen evil in quite the same way most people did. Where others saw criminals, he saw opportunity. Thor definitely had that, but in the sunlight he was none of it. He was just a man with golden hair and blue eyes who slept peacefully against the car door, his long legs stretched as far as they could in front of him, his hands folded across his lap. 

Loki took the opportunity to study him a little more. Thor kept his beard trimmed close, but it was full and thick along his cheeks and jaw, a little darker than the honeyed blonde that covered his head. There was a warm flush of color across his cheeks, the telltale bronze of a man who spent a lot of time in the sun by choice. A rich man’s tan, so to speak. Loki knew the look. He had spent many of his teenage years learning to identify exactly these kinds of people in order to relieve them of some of their more costly accessories, much like the rings Thor wore on his fingers. 

Loki imagined if he’d had the opportunity to nick something from Thor back then he wouldn’t have minded getting caught. In his very early days he might have taken one look at Thor and gotten caught on purpose. 

“You’re staring,” Thor murmured.

Loki jerked his eyes back to the road, suddenly very aware of his hands as they gripped the steering wheel. He could sense Thor’s eyes on him and forgot where his own should be.

“Sorry,” he said gingerly.

Thor chuckled sleepily and shifted in his seat. “Don’t be. You weren’t the only one.”

Was Thor...hitting on him? 

Loki didn’t dare look but it seemed Thor had simply gone back to sleep, which only served to annoy him. What the hell was he supposed to do with that, exactly, pray tell? What a pompous, arrogant, self-important son of a—he caught himself and stopped that train of thought before it decided to come out of his mouth. The heat radiating up from beneath his collar that had nothing to do with the temperature. 

It wasn’t fair. Loki considered himself average, even good looking when given a chance, but he didn’t typically attract staring and he certainly didn’t attract it from people who looked like Thor. His stomach flip flopped rebelliously. 

Had Thor really been looking at him? 

The scenery sped past.

Eventually he pulled off in a small, drive-through sort of town in southern Colorado. Things definitely got less dramatically beautiful the farther south they got, they also got a lot less populated. 

Loki brought the car to a stop in a small parking lot that sat on the edge of a little park. It was a moderately sized patch of grass with a swing set to the side and a small little building for bathrooms. Aside from the lady walking her dog past it and into the neighborhood beyond, it was empty. 

He killed the engine and looked over at Thor who was breathing evenly, a few pieces of blonde hair had fallen forward into his eyes. His glasses were crooked and looked like they might fall off. Loki almost reached out reflexively to take them from his face, but caught himself before he did. 

It was somewhat warm outside. Loki stood and stretched, lifting his arms over his head and relishing the series of pops that ran along his spine. He shut the door as quietly as he could and went to the small, single room bathrooms. 

Thor was still asleep when he got out and Loki wasn’t keen to wake the other man up. He glanced at his watch. He’d give him a little bit longer before waking him up. 

He walked up to the side of the highway to the small gas station. It felt good to stretch his legs as he wandered around the small convenience store and stocked up on some energy drinks and snacks to kill the time. 

The man at the cash register snapped his gum and checked him out lazily and that was when Loki happened to glance up to see his own face staring back at him from the tv. His blood ran ice cold as he listened in to the dim commentary that poured from the damaged speakers. They were talking about him. Not him right now, of course, but definitely one of his aliases. When Nat said she was going to burn bridges, she certainly set them all ablaze.

He cleared his throat, smiled, tried to act normal and asked the cashier to toss in a couple packs of cigarettes for good measure. He lit one up on his way out.

Thor was leaning against the trunk when he got back. He smiled a little when Loki waved. 

“Not running away from me, hm?” He asked. 

Loki regarded him. “You really think I scare that easily?”

Thor tilted his head and grinned, not shy about the fact that he was letting his eyes wander liberally. Loki dug into his bag and pretended not to notice. 

“Here,” he held out the fresh pack of cigarettes. “Thought you might be low.”

Thor accepted them without comment, the traces of his smile still hovering on his lips. Loki brought his fingers back up to his own cigarette and nervously sucked in a lot more smoke than he intended. Trying not to cough distracted him momentarily. 

“Give that here,” Thor said, holding his hand out for the bag Loki carried. Loki handed it to him. “What does my illustrious companion like on a road trip? Ah yes, a red vines man is a man I can trust. You know these energy drinks will kill you, though.”

Ironic, wasn’t it? One wrong move and Loki was as good as dead, but the man who would give the order for his demise was warning him off caffeine. He should really add “hilarious” to his list of talents, he thought dryly, then wondered absently if Thor would shoot him clean, assassination style, or if he’d go about things more painfully. 

Things to think about.

Thor tutted through the other items he’d bought, commenting uselessly on them in a way that felt both benign and threatening at the same time. 

He eventually handed it back to Loki, asking, “How long have we got left?” 

“Well, this is Saguache, so we have at least another two and a half hours depending on drivers,” Loki said, putting his cigarette out and cracking open a red bull. 

“Excellent.”

Thor gave him a lingering glance and strolled away in the direction of the bathrooms. Loki stashed the bag in the car. He took the opportunity to make a phone call on one of several burners he'd managed to tuck away, walking a couple yards away towards a bench within full view of the park. The phone rang as he climbed onto the bench and sat on the back rest, leaning his elbows against his knees. 

“Are you sure this guy is the worst man in the world?” he asked as soon as Natasha’s assistant patched him through. “He’s basically if a sunflower had a child with a teddy bear.”

“You do realize your understanding of evil isn’t exactly the most reliable,” Natasha said dryly. “Wait for him to show his colors. You’ll see them soon. We have something in the works.”

“How will I know it’s you?” Loki asked, glancing towards the bathrooms. 

“It’ll be big,” Natasha said. “You’ll know.”

“Okay,” Loki chewed on his lip as Thor reappeared. “I gotta go.”

He killed the call and tucked the cell phone away as he stood. 

“You’re not supposed to have a cell phone,” Thor commented softly, dangerously. He held out his hand and Loki handed the phone to him wordlessly, unconcerned. Nat wasn't stupid enough to have a permanent phone number. “Who was that? A lover?”

“We’ve been over this,” Loki said dryly.

“You should try it some time,” Thor said, turning the phone over in his massive hands as they got back into the car. “Love, I mean.”

Loki barked a short laugh. “Yeah, well, I’m not that lucky.”

Thor had already picked up his own phone and was scrolling through his music to select a song. At Loki’s words he paused, his thumb hovering over one as he looked over, beautiful in every shade of blue and gold. 

“I wouldn’t be so hard on lady luck,” Thor said. “You’re alone because you choose to be, not by nature of who you are.”

Loki twisted to look behind as he backed out of the parking spot. “Is that right? How much do I owe you for the psychotherapy, doctor?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, darling,” Thor said and hit play. “For you it’s pro bono.”

Loki felt his heart speed up as he pulled back out onto the highway. He was grateful Thor liked his music loud.

*

_Thor sleeps in the car on the way to New Mexico. Art by Karu._

*

New Mexico was pretty. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as Colorado, but it had the same plains and high desert feel. Valkyrie had booked them a private residence to do business at. They would be there for the better part of a couple weeks.

Business for Thor meant a lot of phone calls and computer work, but mostly they walked down the short dirt road to a local bar where they spent a lot of time drinking and generally being obnoxiously cavalier for the nature of their business. It was the strongest act Loki had ever donned in his entire life but it seemed as though Thor approached everything in such a manner. 

He was starting to get a feel for Thor’s method of madness, though. The other man loved to play the fun-loving, affable host. Loki noted the way he interacted with everyone and it was like watching a game of chess. Thor didn’t jump in immediately, he set things up very carefully by starting at the bottom with servers and maids. He treated them as if he had been a longtime customer and knew them personally and it didn’t take long before they came to believe it.

That’s when the pieces began to move. 

“Gisele, dear, can we get one more of these delightful chocolate cakes? We’ll take it to go.”

“Of course, Mister Odinson, I’ll have it right out for you.”

Loki watched as Gisele flashed a brilliant smile and disappeared to put their order in. He glanced at Thor. 

“Ready to turn in for the night already?” He checked his watch. “It’s only nine. Are you feeling okay?”

Thor’s easy grin cast shadows along his face from where he reclined in his seat beneath the dim lighting. “We have business to attend to tonight, darling.”

He’d started to use endearments regularly. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, Thor used them on anything that breathed. Maybe it was the way he said it to Loki, the way his lips moved around the word, or how he always made sure to look him in the eye while he said it. 

Loki always stared right back. 

It felt like a game of chicken. Like each of them was trying to get the other to break, but neither one of them was sure what the reward would be. Loki was beginning to begrudgingly admit that he loved the way it left him short of breath.

Gisele brought the little cake out and Thor paid with a black credit card and a charming smile. 

“You have that entire bar wrapped around your finger,” Loki commented as they made their way back, boots crunching in the crumbling gravel beneath their feet. 

Thor had a hand in his pocket, the little cake in the other. He easily had at least twenty pounds on Loki, as well as a couple inches in height, but somehow Thor just seemed so much bigger than that. He walked into a room and people were drawn to him, not just because of his physicality, the way he carried himself exuded a certain confidence. 

It made people want to impress him. 

“A friendly smile and a kind word go a long way,” Thor said in answer to his comment.

Loki snorted. “Yes, you’re quite the humanitarian.”

“Of course,” Thor said agreeably. “I’ve done several TedTalks on the various charities I’ve established.”

“I saw them.”

Thor glanced at him and managed to make the tilt of his head seem expensive. “Have you, now? Been doing a little research on the big bad boss?”

“I like to know who I’m getting in bed with, so to speak,” Loki said. 

Thor’s laugh hung in the vague humidity. They walked the rest of the way back to the house in a comfortable silence. If Thor’s arm brushed Loki’s a couple times, he pretended he didn’t notice but it sent a thrill down his spine. Not the kind of thrill you experienced with a crush but something else, something he hadn’t felt since he first started moving product in his mid-teens. 

Ever since he could remember, Loki had been something of a daredevil. When he got his first bike he removed the training wheels before he would think about riding it. He should have done well in sports, but the rules and the physical nature of them offended him on a molecular level so he got his kicks with information. He was nosey by nature, it was a simple matter of making his affinity for eavesdropping into something lucrative. By the time he was fourteen he was trading information for cigarettes in the school bathrooms and by eighteen he was moving coke like clockwork. 

Simply put, he loved the chaotic nature of it all. The delicate dance and ultimate high of getting away with everything but murder was better than any drug. Now he was flirting with death and he was drinking it down with the same flair that frat boys guzzled shitty beer. 

“Your list of applicable skills doesn’t include bartender, by chance, does it?” Thor asked. 

Keys jangled as he let them into the house and flipped on the lights. The warm glow of lamps lit up the room. 

“I was a night manager,” Loki said lightly, shutting the door behind him. “I have all manner of hidden skills.”

Thor cast him an admiring glance. “How does the former night manager feel about making something with the contents of that liquor cabinet?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Loki smiled and headed for the kitchen. 

He ended up making caipirinhas with some limes and the remnants of a bag of brown sugar he found in the baking drawer. When he finished he brought them out to where Thor sat on the back porch, overlooking a small orchard that was part of the property. 

“Sorry to end the evening on shop talk,” Thor said, taking the drink from him with an appreciative hum. “But I promise to make it quick.”

“If we must,” Loki sighed grandly and took a seat across from him. 

“You’re something of a businessman,” Thor said, his fingers dancing across an ipad on his lap. “Here’s my proposition. I’ve been talking to this group for some time about a deal, but I think if I had a partner on board they might be more amenable to working with me.”

Loki put his own drink down and dried his fingers on his pant leg before taking the ipad Thor extended to him. 

“How long have you been in negotiations?” he asked, scanning the order summaries and product lists with interest. 

“About a month now,” Thor said. “They just need to sign the damn document, but they’re stalling. Bringing you on board as a partner will be all the reassurance they need to know this is legitimate.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to just punch them into submission,” Loki quipped, swiping to the next page and taking another sip of his drink. 

“Ah, but that would be entirely to easy on you, darling,” Thor said. “I need to see just how good you are under pressure, remember?”

Loki laughed a little and said something clever in return, but he could have sworn Thor’s words had an edge to them. 

_How are you handling the pressure so far, little snake?_ They seemed to say.

The answer? Like a fish to water. 

He glanced back down at the list in front of him, perusing it slowly, taking in the information. It was a lot. He had expected to be put on a more minor deal to start with, as Thor wouldn’t toss him into negotiations with bigger clients until he was certain of Loki’s loyalties. Unless…

But it was all there. Everything Natasha had pinned on Thor for being the worst man in the world was sitting in front of him on a screen. It should have been small items, but this was huge. Automatic weapons. Artillery. Vehicles. Chemical weapons. 

Thor didn’t just fancy himself a superior judge of character, he had the utmost confidence in it.

“You’re not playing around,” Loki said out loud. “I thought this was supposed to be a small deal.”

Thor eyed him in amusement. “Darling, that _is_ a small deal.”

Loki carefully controlled his face and scanned the rest of the list. 

“When do we start?” he asked, handing the tablet back.

“You didn’t finish,” Thor said, pushing it back towards him with a smile. “Keep going.”

Loki frowned and took it back, thumbing his way to the next page. It was a contract. 

“A contract?” he asked, confused. 

“Mmhm,” Thor hummed. “Keep going.”

He swiped further. They were scans of his particulars that Thor had given him back in Aspen. New identity, passport, credit cards. Everything. His heart beat a rapid tattoo against the inside of his chest, like the feeling at the pit of his stomach just before the rollercoaster let loose along the tracks. 

“Thor—”

“All you need to do is sign,” Thor handed him a stylus, his face solemn. 

Loki bit his lip, hesitated just long enough to make it seem plausible, then plucked the pen from between Thor’s large fingers and did a couple practice runs with his signature, a motion that made Thor smile a little. Then he signed on the dotted line and hit “accept.”

Thor whistled low. “Congratulations, partner.”

Loki let out a small breath and attempted a grin, feeling a bit giddy with it all. Thor took the ipad back and saved the documents, encrypted them, and sent them to Valkyrie who would undoubtedly be furious.

“That’s everything, I think,” Thor tossed the ipad onto the chair next to him. “Which means it’s my turn to play in the liquor cabinet and your turn to figure out whether or not I’ve poisoned you.”

He collected Loki’s empty tumbler and disappeared into the kitchen. Loki stretched out and slid down in the chair a little bit, letting his mind drift lazily over the tops of the trees in the orchard. Things couldn’t be going any better. He knew his luck would turn, but he had poured the drinks fairly heavily and he didn’t quite care right now. 

Thor emerged then and brought out another round of drinks and they chatted amicably into the evening until it got too dark to see. 

Thor was a surprisingly easy conversationalist. Loki learned that he had seen the world many times over and experienced twice as much. He could speak a little bit of Spanish and some Arabic when pressed, he had a killer knack for poker, and enjoyed the gym whenever he could get around to it. He wasn’t much of a reader, but had done his fair share of dabbling in fiction when he approached as he put it “absolute misery.”

“What about you?” Thor asked, his words slurring just the slightest bit. 

It was quite a feat for him to be this lucid, seeing as they were well into their fourth round of drinks. Loki was feeling quite warm and relaxed himself, slouched with his legs splayed out in front of him, knees swaying absently back and forth. 

“Oh, I love a good book,” he said in answer. “I couldn’t read enough as a child. There’s nothing quite like a good story.”

“Is that so?” Thor asked. 

Loki let his head fall to the side so he could look at him. Thor was in a state of elegant dishevelment. He had unbuttoned his shirt in the evening heat and let it fall to the sides of his (unsurprisingly) chiseled abdomen, his bare feet were propped up against the coffee table and crossed at the ankles. He looked magnificent. The kind of villain that everybody would say was good and kind and helped their grandmother unload her groceries on the weekends and had been married for years. 

But Thor wasn’t married. 

“What about you, hm?” Loki asked, emboldened by the liquor and the warmth that anchored him to his seat. “Are you all alone like me?”

Thor was silent, but when Loki turned his head to look at him Thor gave him a smile that looked a little too wide and rose to his feet, collecting their glasses and making his way back inside while saying something about mosquitoes. Frowning, Loki pushed himself upright and followed him, managing to make it through the sliding glass door without incident as Thor put their glasses in the sink. 

“I didn’t mean to overstep,” Loki said bluntly. 

Thor chuckled but it had none of the warmth Loki had come to associate with him. “Turnabout is fair play.”

Loki found the statement hilarious. It wasn’t too bold to assume Thor had never played by the rules. 

“I can think of better ways to start off a partnership that don’t involve pissing off the boss on day one,” Loki said dryly. “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t apologize much, but when he did it was usually to save his outstretched neck. Later he might come to realize there was a drop of sincerity behind his words.

“No, you’re not sorry, are you?” Thor mused, considering him in the slight warmth of the under-cabinet lighting, a kind of hunger flickering in his eyes. “And yet you’re quick to apologize, which means either you think I’m offended and don’t want to take your chances or you’re more heart than I gave you credit for,” he paused a moment before changing tack completely. “But it’s late and we have an early start tomorrow. I’ll see you with the sunrise.”

Loki watched him retreat down the hallway and stood in the kitchen for a long time after that, lost in thought. 

When he finally made it back to his own room for the night, there were deep red crescents in his palms from clenching his fists.

*

They fell into a sort of routine in the following days. They were in Taos for a total of about a month and Loki found it increasingly easier to play his part as the smart and successful criminal who was in it for the big bucks. He found that Thor, for all his reputation, was a lot less inscrutable than he initially thought. Oh, he could turn it on and play ball and he often did, but by himself he didn’t try quite so hard. Loki could kick himself for it, but he was starting to enjoy the other man for more than just sport. Thor was funny, easygoing, and spontaneous and it was hard not to be swept up in the luxuriousness of his day-to-day escapades.

Today, however, he was all business. 

Loki glanced over at him from where he sat in the back seat of the luxury sedan. He was dressed in a light linen suit that hugged him in all the right places and cast a rather intimidating silhouette which was a rather impressive feat for linen in Loki’s opinion. Not that it was hard to be intimidated by six-foot-four of solid muscle. 

They had stayed the night in Santa Fe and were on the way to a previously undisclosed location where they would meet and sign off on the deal Loki had seen papers for just weeks earlier. 

“How are we feeling today, Andrew?” Thor asked, the alias sliding off his tongue with seamless authority in a way that made even Loki believe him. 

“Ready for anything,” Loki smiled. 

“That’s the spirit,” Thor returned the smile from behind his Ray-Bans. “I think it’s going to be a good day.”

True to Thor’s predictions, it seemed the buyers were reassured to have a partner on board. Their lawyer seemed pleasantly surprised that Thor would go into a deal with a partner on board, which assured them of his “ability to play nice with others” or so were the words she used. 

Loki assumed the mantle of polished but steely Andrew Birch in a rather flawless manner, if he did say so himself. He could almost feel Thor’s approval rolling off his broad shoulders and it made him stand a little straighter. 

The deal itself didn’t take long and before Loki could process it all they were already in the car on the way back to the house. They had a flight scheduled that afternoon, but as it was Thor’s private jet they wouldn’t need to go through the hassle of the airport. 

Loki shed his jacket almost immediately when they got inside, draping it over the couch armrest and stretching luxuriously. Thor vanished into the kitchen and a loud pop sounded. When he reappeared he was holding two flutes of champagne. 

“I think congratulations are in order,” he said, a smile gracing his lips in a way that Loki couldn’t quite tear his eyes from. 

He did manage, but not before Thor noticed and his smile deepened as he held out the flute of champagne. Loki took it, too aware of how his fingers brushed against Thor’s when he did. 

“Cheers,” he said, unable to help the fact that his eyes flitted up in time to catch Thor’s strikingly blue ones. 

They were a deep blue like the kind of waters Loki assumed Thor liked to dive into on the edges of his many properties. By now he knew there was a distinctive gold fleck in his right eye, not that he’d been paying attention. 

He certainly hadn’t meant to pay so much attention, but it seemed he already had and he had done it so slyly that he hadn’t even noticed he was doing it. 

“Cheers,” Thor echoed intently, his voice grinding pleasantly against Loki’s ears with the kind of gravel he’d become accustomed to. He didn’t remember it making him hot under the collar…

Thor brought his glass up to meet Loki’s with a gentle clink and didn’t look away as he drank the whole thing in one go. Loki’s heart beat in his chest as he did the same. When Thor reached out to take the glass from him, their hands met and he couldn’t stop the hitch in his breath. 

They were too close. He could feel the heat from Thor’s chest through his thin shirt. Thor’s hands were warm, too, Loki noted as one of them gently wrested the delicate glass from his fingers and the other came up to trace the edge of his jaw. 

He should have said something. Anything. A word to kill the tension but he leaned into the touch instead. 

It was all Thor needed to close the remaining distance between them with a raspy “come here, darling.” Loki didn’t even entertain the idea of trying to stop him. Thor’s hand curled around his neck to pull him in and there was no hesitation in the touch, as sure now as he was in all other aspects of his life.

Loki felt an alarm go off in the back of his mind, but his lips parted beneath Thor’s and it was drowned out with the taste of champagne and adrenaline. It felt out of control and reckless. It felt good. He let it tug him under with all the resistance of a stone to water. 

Thor’s body was solid beneath his fingers as they pressed against his chest and slipped around to the grip the corded steel of his back. He didn’t know when his shirt got unbuttoned, or indeed when Thor’s did but they were skin on skin, burnished gold against pale linen. Their breath came quickly, in tandem as if they had sprinted against one another to get here. 

And maybe they had.

Loki thought he heard his name once or twice and his head was pulled back to expose his throat for Thor’s lips to explore. His own hands found themselves tangled in the spun gold of Thor’s hair, tugging at him by no will of his own but the driving force of his own pleasure. When Thor’s hand slid down to cup him through the fabric of his slacks he gasped and a shiver blossomed across his skin. 

Thor laughed deep in his throat and his hands were quick, practiced and nimble as they tugged at zippers and pushed at waistbands. The air was cool. Loki felt his fingers trace along Thor’s sweat dampened skin, breathing him in until he found the crest of his hips and dipped below.

When Thor found him, Loki swelled to his touch, heat building in his gut as his body responded for him, finding a rhythm that Thor seemed to fall into naturally. 

“That’s it, love,” Thor said, his lips against his ear.

Fire surged across his skin. Loki didn’t have words, just the sounds that slipped from his mouth in between gasps. Thor was looking at him for all the world like he was the only thing he had ever wanted, hungry and possessive. Loki tried to lock on to the impossible blue of his gaze but his head fell back and it hit him all at once, blooming into the warmth of Thor’s fist and making him arch away from the wall, his jaw hanging open for the sound that ripped from his throat unbidden. Thor breathed encouragement, his own voice a little strangled as he sought his own pleasure, thrusting against his fist. He followed suit with a groan, burying his face in Loki’s neck and going rigid. Loki could feel him pulse against him, warmth spilling over onto his skin.

They stayed that way for a moment, entangled, breath coming back to them as they remembered how to breathe properly. Thor recovered first and when he pushed away Loki was annoyed when cool air replaced Thor’s heat. 

“You look good like this,” Thor said, looking smug but pleased, his eyes taking him in like he was a piece of art made specially for him. 

Loki remained against the wall, content to be the object of Thor’s scrutiny as a properly deconstructed mess for now. He hadn’t been taken care of quite so thoroughly in years and he would be lying if he said it didn't feel incredible. 

He watched Thor’s as naked back retreated towards the bedrooms and allowed himself the pleasure of admiring the way his muscles worked beneath his skin. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, wasn’t it? This should qualify. He ignored the odd flutter in his chest and pulled his shirt back over his shoulders, pushing himself upright.

He needed to get a message to Natasha.

*

_is our secret safe tonight?_  
_and are we out of sight?_  
_or will our world come tumbling down?_  
_will they find our hiding place?_  
_is this our last embrace?_  
_or will the walls start caving in?_

*

_Loki keeping his enemy close. Art by Karu._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Art by [Karu](https://twitter.com/karulatte). 
> 
> \- Lyrics are from [The World Is Not Enough by Garbage](https://open.spotify.com/track/0wnIPcs7V0XMwtcg0yjKpg?si=M6XJyHLhRuy3V8FPyRBvFw) and [Resistance by Muse](https://open.spotify.com/track/1C2QJNTmsTxCDBuIgai8QV?si=KEinOKbDQG-2maextta-Ew) respectively.
> 
> So? What did we think this week? Thank you so much for reading! Again, updates will happen every Tuesday and they will be posted on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/overlysalted_) first!


	3. Die Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fuck,” he spat the word like it tasted bad. Then again, louder. “Fuck!”
> 
> There was only one thing he could do. His hands shook as he slid open the phone and punched in the shorthand and hit send.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving, folks!
> 
> This was one of my absolute favorite chapters to write. It ended up being so much longer than I thought it would be, and much more of a beast to get up than I expected. Whoops. So sorry it's late!
> 
> If you're so inclined, [The Mighty Fall by Fall Out Boy](https://open.spotify.com/track/4rNOFJdwQq0ulVDKOF447L?si=uST7GYVtT3GlBvYDx_uQ2A) got me through this chapter and is the main inspiration. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_Bel Air baby, did you get dressed up?_  
_pretty pout, pout_  
_(while you bottomed out)_  
_i can't stop it when there's chemicals keeping us together_  
_i'm singing_  
_whoa, how the mighty fall_  
_how the mighty fall in love_

*

**/Palma de Mallorca, Spain // 1430 GMT+2**

The flight to Spain was absolutely batshit, to use the technical term. Oh, the ride itself was smooth from what he would remember, but walking into the cabin was like walking into another social class, the likes of which he only ever dreamt of when he was a kid. If it were up to him he would have pocketed half the shit that could fit in his pockets before the pilot could utter the words “welcome aboard, sir,” but he didn’t, mostly because he was supposedly above petty thievery these days. 

He did, however, relieve a passing flight attendant of their phone as they passed and slipped it into his pocket while Thor paused at the cockpit to speak with the pilot. Old habits died hard. A flight attendant with brilliantly white teeth and dark, curly hair welcomed him aboard and offered him a glass of chilled white wine, which he took gratefully and stepped farther into the cabin. 

Hours earlier, after fucking him stupid (and he did mean stupid) against the wall, Thor had left him there disappeared for a quick shower before they headed for the airport. Loki had changed, gathered his wits and his luggage, and wondered just how close of an eye Natasha had on him. Since ditching most of his burners, he hadn’t had much in the way of contact with her, even if he knew she had eyes on him.

His stomach twisted uneasily. By all appearances, the job was going more smoothly than he could have hoped, there was nothing for him to be concerned about and yet he was increasingly more on edge. He could feel Thor’s eyes on him, a perpetual prickle on the back of his neck. It could have easily been mistaken for infatuation on Thor’s end, but as much as that would have put his mind at ease, he knew it wasn't true. Thor wasn’t that stupid.

It irritated him that, despite Thor’s intimidatingly astute sensibilities and the fact that Loki represented everything that might warrant a bullet through the head, it was impossible not to be drawn to Thor’s inexplicable warmth. Loki turned the thought over in his head for a moment before shoving it aside and taking a large swallow of wine. He felt Thor slip an arm around his waist and leaned into him, pleased to find he fit perfectly against his side.

“This is unbelievable,” he said to Thor.

Ludicrous would have been a better term, but he felt it was a little gauche in the current environment. Thor lived and breathed elegance, the likes of which Loki had only ever serviced and never experienced. It felt as though he was floating through the experience in somebody else’s body, on the verge of getting kicked out by nature of his unmanicured nails or something equally irrelevant to the working class. 

Directly ahead, there was a lounge area with a false fireplace in front of it. It was on and flickering cheerily, backed by a fully stocked bar that had little vases of freshly cut flowers on either side of the polished countertop. In the lounge itself was a coffee table that doubled as a chess board, surrounded by wide, plush seats big enough for Loki to stretch out on twice if he wanted to.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never flown private before,” Thor teased him from behind, his lips against Loki’s ear, sending a delicious shiver down his spine.

Loki laughed him off. “You are so full of shit.”

“I can’t imagine what you mean, love,” Thor said breezily, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I see Arlo has already taken care of you,” he winked at the same flight attendant who had given Loki his wine, taking a proffered glass for himself and giving Loki a warm look. “Welcome aboard. I think you’ll enjoy yourself immensely.”

Loki rolled his eyes and followed Thor farther in. He chose a puffy recliner next to one of the large windows and accepted more wine before they took off, then watched the New Mexico scenery shrink beneath them. When they emerged above big, fluffy, white clouds, Thor moved to the lounge area to attend to business. 

He listened in with a careful ear, pouring himself more wine and absently swirling it in his glass. Thor’s demeanor shifted substantially when dealing with business like this. He was all smiles and effortless grace in person, but over the phone he was as slick as he was controlling. It sounded a lot like the time he’d inadvertently stumbled into a conversation just a couple weeks back in Taos. He had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water and Thor was outside on the patio. He struck a proud silhouette against the midnight navy of the sky, the orange glow from a cigarette illuminating his features every so often as he took a drag before speaking in clipped tones.

That night he’d seen a little bit of what Natasha had alluded to. Thor didn’t lose his temper when he didn’t get his way, he simply tucked away that carefully cultivated, easy demeanor and allowed you to see what was underneath. It was easy to forget he could make a single phone call and have you murdered from halfway across the world. Loki imagined Thor didn’t have to break the facade often, but crossing the line with him must have felt like taking a plunge into the arctic.

“We had a deal for Thursday,” Thor was saying. 

Loki looked out the window, listening carefully.

“That doesn’t work for me and if things don’t work for me, we don’t have a deal,” Thor said. “No, the language was quite clear on that.”

Loki stole a glance at him, but Thor seemed to be relaxed as ever, reclining against the overly large pillows and absently frowning at a wayward thread poking out of the lining of the couch. He looked out the window again.

“Yes,” Thor said with an air of finality. “And I’ll have Valkyrie stop by on her way to Spain to make sure things are in order.”

There was the sound of the phone hitting the couch. 

“Incompetent fools, the lot of them,” Thor sighed. “What do you think, darling?”

Loki turned to find blue eyes already trained on him and felt his traitorous cheeks blush beneath him. He shouldn’t be preening under Thor’s attention, but he couldn’t stop himself. 

“About?” he asked. 

Thor raised his eyebrows. “The trip so far?”

Loki laughed. “Well, you’ve ruined economy class for me, so thanks for that.”

Thor tucked his iPad away with a low chuckle. “Come now, I did nothing to ruin economy class, it did that all on its own.”

“Ah, but I wasn’t aware of that until you came along,” Loki said.

“So you like it then,” Thor asked, watching him intently. 

Loki glanced at him in amusement. Thor seemed genuinely interested in what he thought about the whole experience, almost like he needed to know Loki was enjoying himself. He softened a little, offering a smile. 

“It’s lovely.”

A smile crinkled the corners of Thor’s blue eyes. “And yet you still look terribly tense. Come here, have more wine and relax.”

A subtle pang hit Loki in the chest as he watched Thor pour them both another glass, waiting for him to join. Things were never a request with Thor, he simply said things and people did them. He had this way of demanding excellence simply by existing and Loki didn’t blame anybody for stumbling over themselves to comply. He took the proffered glass of wine and sat down, letting Thor pull him close with a massive arm around his shoulders. His skin prickled beneath the heat. 

The decision to set his glass down was unconscious, but he was already turning towards Thor when he realized it and by then it was too late. He leaned over to catch his soft lips in a kiss, bold and overheated. He wanted what he’d had back at the house in New Mexico. He couldn’t stop thinking about Thor’s golden skin—perpetually hot to the touch like he’d been lying in the sun for hours—and he wanted it against his own, molded against him like they were made for each other, even if it was just for now.

Thor responded to him instantly, his hands sliding up to grip Loki’s hips as he climbed into his lap. Loki curled his hand through Thor’s hair and down along his jawline, enjoying the soft, glossy strands of his hair as they slid between his fingers. Thor’s hand snaked around to grasp the back of his neck, pulling him down fit their lips together better. Loki’s lips parted of their own will, welcoming his wine-sweetened breath. 

They had hours in the air to go but he moved against Thor like they were on borrowed time. Thor was only too happy to indulge him, eventually wrapping his arms around Loki with a frustrated growl to roll them over onto the couch until he was on top, posting up on one hand by his head and leaving the other free to explore.

Loki arched up into his touch and when Thor finally took them both into one large fist he saw stars. They came together, Loki’s hands fisted into the silky fabric of Thor’s shirt, the sound of his voice in his ear. 

Later, clean and in different clothes, when he was curled lazily against the warmth of Thor’s chest, he felt a traitorous twinge somewhere near his heart. His moral compass had never pointed due north, no. In that respect Natasha wasn’t wrong, but the fact that he was peddling information designed to ruin this man for everything he was worth? Emotionally unclear. His opinion on that remained to be seen.

Until then, he would write his doubts off as the unfortunate side effects of casual sex—he knew the signs well enough. It would be easy enough to disentangle himself when he had to. And if he noticed the burnished gold of Thor’s skin, the shine of his hair, or the cool blue of his eyes with painful accuracy; if he noticed the way the tendons in Thor’s wrists shifted when he used his hands, or the way his lips moved around the sounds of his name, well, that was just a coincidence.

*

Valkyrie met them at the airport in the car. She cut a sharp figure in her tailored suit and sunglasses, her hair pulled back in a complicated pattern of braids that fell to her waist. Her lips were pressed into a flat line across her face as they approached. Loki didn’t need to see through the dark lenses of her glasses to know her eyes were narrowed in disapproval.

She hadn’t trusted him for a second and he didn’t imagine she felt any better about him when they stepped from the plane and Thor’s hand immediately found his. Loki let him. 

“How was your flight, sir,” Val addressed Thor as they approached. She didn’t bother with Loki.

“A little bumpier than usual, but the wine was excellent,” Thor said cheerfully. “How’s the crew doing without me?”

“An absolute disaster, as you very well know,” Val answered dryly, turning smoothly to open the car door for them. 

Thor’s hand was warm in Loki’s as he guided him in first. Inside smelled like new leather and solvent. The door shut behind them as Val got in the front passenger seat. The driver pulled away from the airfield and Val handed back an ipad. 

“You’ll want to look over things that are happening before tomorrow,” she said. “I’ve been assured we won’t be bothered, but I have my misgivings.”

“Always hire somebody more paranoid than you are,” Thor told Loki as he took the tablet from her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “They’re bloody annoying, but they get the job done. We’ve been through quite a lot together, me and Val. Killer instinct, this one.”

Val shifted in the front seat and Loki could see her glare from the side view mirror. She wasn’t looking at him, but she didn’t need to for him to get the idea. He couldn’t help it—

“Let me see,” he told Thor, leaning over his shoulder in an exaggerated show of familiarity. 

Val cleared her throat from the front seat and Loki felt his lips curl into a smile. Too easy. Thor didn’t seem to notice and shifted the tablet so he could see. 

“You’re an eager one, aren’t you, love?” Thor said, pressing a kiss to his temple and looping an arm around Loki’s shoulders. “Why don’t you take a look at this, actually,” his fingers danced across the screen and brought up a large file. “Tell me what you think, hm?”

Loki flashed a satisfied look into the side mirror and took the tablet from him, knowing Val would be watching. Sure enough, she was frowning. He gave her a cheeky wink for the effort. He really shouldn’t be picking fights with Thor’s entourage but if he knew one thing about himself, it was that he could handle it...maybe. Probably.

It didn’t help that he was alarmingly distracted. His stomach fluttered every time Thor leaned in to whisper something in his ear or casually placed his hand on his arm. He shook his head a little and squinted at the particulars on the screen.

“When is this happening?” he asked. 

Thor checked his watch. “That one is a couple weeks from now, actually.”

“And have you dealt with these guys before?” 

“The Hamids?” Thor replied. “Yes, of course. They’ve always been reliable buyers.”

Loki flipped through a couple more slides. “Have you worked with the son, though?”

“He was present last time, yes, but he was never particularly promising,” Thor looked at him, bemused. “Go on, don’t be obtuse, love, nobody likes a tease.”

“I knew of him when I worked in Cairo and he was branching into new business ventures at the time,” Loki handed the tablet back. “I lost track of him once I left, but the word on the street was supposedly poised to take over his father’s role. Forcibly. Watch your back with that one.”

Thor hummed. “Valkyrie, are we aware of this particular development?”

There was a short pause before she answered. 

“I had heard of it, but Hamid Sr. seems to be securely in his position,” when she was met with silence, she added, “although, I suppose I will check into it again just to be doubly sure.”

Thor chuckled. “You see what we can get accomplished with teamwork? Normally Valkyrie doesn’t take too kindly to newcomers,” he gave Loki a sidelong glance. “And something tells me you, my serpentine friend, well, you didn’t ever take kindly to anybody.”

“Hmm,” Loki settled back against Thor’s arm and looked out the window. “You should see me when I like somebody.”

“I’d like that.”

Loki practically felt Valkyrie roll her eyes.

*

The house in Majorca was a practically a fortress, built on the edge of a beachside cliff that Thor had bought and owned for several years. The rest of his entourage from Colorado was already there. While Thor greeted them and immediately got pulled into business by some people with solemn faces and low tones that Loki didn’t know, Hela pulled him into a warm hug.

“You look stunning,” she said when she released him, looking him over. “Thor took you shopping, I assume?”

“He flew the tailor out for it, yeah,” Loki said, smiling. “Wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Hela smiled and Loki was struck by how similar it was to Thor’s. She was a lot like her brother, a version of Thor if he weren’t quite so mysterious and calculating beneath the inexplicable warmth and intelligence. Maybe like Thor if he wasn’t running a massive, illicit arms operation. 

“Of course he did—oh!” she exclaimed as a boy came barrelling into the house and hugged her around the middle. 

“Mama, look what I caught!” 

He was a striking boy with dark, curly hair and eyes the same green as his mother’s. In his hand he held a small orange bucket with a lobster in it. 

“Oh, he’s fabulous, baby, but remember what we talked about, hm? About bringing your creatures inside the house?” Hela admonished him gently, kneeling to look at his catch anyway. “Oh, he is a pretty one though.”

She plucked the bucket out of his hand and crouched next to him. “Can you say hello to Loki?”

“Hi, I’m Tyr,” the boy said solemnly, holding his hand out in a haltingly formal fashion. 

“Hi, Tyr.” Loki didn’t have to fake a smile as he took his hand. “You must be pretty special to have caught a lobster.”

Tyr lit up instantly. He began to chatter excitedly and, after getting Loki to promise he would go lobster hunting with him some time, Hela gave him his bucket back and he obediently took it outside. 

“He’s a bright one, isn’t he?” Loki commented, watching him go. 

“Mmm, too smart for me most days,” Hela agreed, her eyes also trailing after her son before turning back to him. “Well, let’s get you settled while they talk. Val, where did Volstagg go? He was supposed to be in charge of bags.”

Val pointed to the window where a large, red-bearded man was struggling with a very large suitcase.

“Oh, that must be mine,” Hela said mildly. “I had some things shipped over from Milan. No worries, Val do you mind terribly?”

“No,” Loki said quickly. “No need. If you’ll point me in the right direction, I can find my way around.” 

He wasn’t keen on Val being near any of his belongings in any circumstance, but he had haphazardly stuffed the flight attendant’s stolen phone into one of the pockets and he wasn’t sure which at the moment. 

“Well, aren’t you sweet,” Hela’s eyes flickered over him. “Are you quite sure you don’t want any help?” When Loki insisted he didn’t mind, she nodded. “In that case, it’s up both flights of stairs, the second door to your right. And stick to that, mind you, Thor doesn’t take well to wanderers.”

“Scout’s honor,” Loki gave her his best smile. “I may lie down for a moment, if I won’t be missed? It’s been a long forty-eight hours.”

Somewhere to his left, Valkyrie snorted and he held back a smirk. He knew very well what she thought about his past forty-eight hours. 

“Of course, dear,” Hela said graciously. “Dinner is on the patio around five, we’ll see you then.”

Loki thanked her and took his suitcase and made sure not to look Val in the eye as he passed. He was beginning to regret taunting her in the car because while he was immune around Thor—there was nothing she could do with him around—he was definitely vulnerable alone.

He hauled his suitcase up the stairs, grateful that everything Thor had bought for him was linen or a lightweight variation thereof. True to his word, he stuck to the second door on the right. There would be more time for exploration later when there weren’t quite so many eyes around to catch him at it.

The room itself was breezy and luxurious, much like everything else Thor seemed to own. A big, four-poster bed draped in gauzy fabric stood against the middle of one wall, mirrored by an antique armoire that looked rather more like Hela’s taste than Thor’s. The whole room was framed by a set of big, double doors that opened wide onto a large balcony with a sparkling view of the landscape—crystal clear water backed by rocky cliffs and hills. Loki unlatched them and let them hang open, leaning against the doorframe and watching the water lap at the shore. He wondered absently what it might be like to just live like this. 

He let the breeze ruffle through the light drapes while he pulled his suitcase up onto the bench at the end of the bed and unzipped it, rifling through the neatly folded contents to get to the stolen phone. He needed to let Nat know the details from their ride over. After that he would keep the phone on his person until he could find a decent hiding place. 

“Forget something, did we?” 

Loki nearly jumped out of his skin. It was only due to years of his own illicit undertakings that he remained stationary as his heart leapt out of his chest. He took half a beat to recover before turning to Thor’s fixer. She was lounging in the doorway, making quite the effort to look nonchalant as she examined her fingernails.

“I was looking for my privacy,” Loki said with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “It seems I lost it on the way over. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Val cocked her head, her hand falling to her side. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to assume that’s a no,” Loki said. 

“I don’t play games, pretty boy,” Val pushed away from the wall and walked into the room. She was almost as tall as he was in a pair of tall, stacked heels, but she still had to look up at him. “What do you want from us?”

“Right now I’d probably say privacy,” Loki said brazenly. 

Val pressed her lips together, her white face tattoos shifting along her cheeks and above her brows as she narrowed her gaze. Loki met her eyes coolly. Val’s aggressive nature was much more his speed. This he could handle. 

“I don’t like you, Laufeyson,” she said. “Thor might be under your spell, but when you inevitably fuck up, and believe me it’s just a matter of time, I will be waiting to put a bullet through your skull.” 

Loki gave her a humorless smile. “Maybe then I’ll get some privacy.”

“There you are, Val.”

Loki’s heart skipped a beat and Val stepped back. The tension vanished. 

“I wondered where you’d gotten off to,” Thor said, strolling into the room looking positively luxurious in a white lounge suit that hung open along his torso where he’d conveniently decided not to wear a shirt. Pants were not supposed to sit that low on hips but clearly those rules didn’t apply to him. 

“Hela was looking for you,” he continued. “She had some questions about going into town tomorrow. Be a good gal and see to it that she gets what she needs, will you? You know how she gets.”

“At once, sir,” Val said. 

She tossed a warning look at Loki as she left, her heels clicking against the polished wooden floors. Thor closed the door behind her and turned back to Loki. 

“You’ll have to forgive Valkyrie,” he said apologetically. “She doesn’t like change and she likes new people even less.”

Loki shrugged and turned back to his suitcase, rifling through it for more comfortable attire. “I can’t say I blame her, I would probably do the same.”

“I was right about you,” Thor said smugly, his eyes glimmering appreciatively. “You’re made of tough stuff.”

Loki was about to respond when Thor frowned and fished his phone out of his pocket. His face darkened and he gave Loki an apologetic look before answering it and leaving the room. The low, angry tones of his voice grew dim as he got further away. 

_Thank fuck._

Loki closed and locked the door as softly as possible. He went back to his suitcase and pulled out a set of more comfortable clothes and coaxed the burner phone from its place along the lining. On a sudden impulse, he took a turn around the room and swept it for bugs before booting the little device up and typing out a shorthand message. 

_4:03pm_  
_Majorca. Details soon._

Loki encrypted it and hesitated. Thor’s soft smiles and touches flashed through his mind and it sent a twinge through his heart that almost felt like remorse. Thor had been nothing but gentle with him—

No. He couldn’t start thinking like that.

He hit send.

*

Dinner was outside on the patio beneath a large trellis that supported a viney, green plant that curled up and around and piled itself on top, providing a thick shade from the intensity of the sun. He was glad he had changed out of his suit from earlier into something a little softer and more comfortable. It seemed Thor favored green on him, so most of the clothes he’d ended up with were some variation on that theme.

He was waylaid by Tyr, who wanted to show him his art from the summer school he was attending. Loki was only too happy to be distracted for a bit, but when he looked over at the table, Thor was already looking at him and he felt his heart clench in his chest. He turned back to Tyr’s drawings and exclaimed appropriately over the colors. 

Eventually he did make his way over to the table, led by Tyr who had taken his hand so he could ask his mother if he could sit next to him. Loki told Hela it was fine and took his own seat in the empty space beside Thor. 

“Everything alright, darling?” Thor asked, fixing him with a soft look. 

It made his stomach ache but he smiled anyway. “Splendid.”

Thor took his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles and turned back to the lively discussion on the latest episode of a popular tv show. The burner phone pressed against his leg like a brand. 

After dinner Loki managed to excuse himself for a run along the beach. Regardless of the fact that he hated the mere thought of running for exercise, he really needed to get away from the house and the prying eyes of Val to decide what to do with the goddamn phone. 

And honestly? Fuck running. 

He prayed he didn’t look like he was in too much agony as he kicked up sand as he ran past the house in the dying sunlight. He was one of those people who naturally looked fit without having to try, so he’d never had to worry about anything aesthetically which...was proving to have been a massive mistake on his end. 

His breath screamed in his lungs as his bare feet struggled against the sand. Sweat was beading up and sliding along his body in places he didn’t realize he could sweat. 

When he finally made it the length of the beach, the house was a pinprick in the distance. He jogged to a stop and collapsed into the sand, still warm with dormant heat from the day. If getting out of this mess meant he had to run for his life, he was definitely going to die. 

He lay there for a while, waiting for his lungs to exit his body via his throat. When they didn’t, he forced himself to sit up, gingerly brushing fine, white sand from his body and letting it pour from his hair when he shook his head. 

It was weird, the absence of tension around him. He hadn’t had a real moment to himself in a couple of months, not since Thor had recruited him in Aspen. He looked out over the water as it lapped at the shore, the sound of gulls in the distance, and tried to breathe in the calmness. 

But the weight of the burner phone sat like lead against his leg, a heavy reminder of the choices he still needed to make. He closed his eyes and let the breeze flutter against his eyelashes. It would all be worth it in the end. An end where a dangerous man was gone from the world for better or worse, but whatever his neutral feelings on that, it came with the promise of a second chance for him. A sealed record, a life away from the hospitality industry overseas, maybe even the chance to watch his idiot brother graduate (from the background, in sunglasses as any good criminal brother would).

A chance to go home.

He ground his teeth. It had been so black and white in the beginning and somehow along the way things got messy, like they always did. 

Thor Odinson. _The Merchant of Death._ Arms dealer. A man who had found a way to capitalize and prosper on the human predisposition towards war and death. Also, a man who was gentle and sweet and generous with him, more so than anybody had ever been. Loki would be remiss if he didn’t acknowledge it felt like some piece of his life had been missing all this time, only to find it in the strength of Thor’s arms, in the hollows of his elbows as they bent to circle around him, and the way he fell asleep as Loki laid across the expanse of his chest. 

They had a lot in common. What with Loki’s penchant for selling lies and getting run out of the country for drug running and Thor’s business empire, they were practically made for each other. 

Loki squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his hair where sand had dried in a gritty, sweaty layer against his scalp. Every time he thought about sending Natasha information he saw Thor’s face in his mind, soft, open, trusting. 

“It’s an act, it’s an act, it’s an act,” he whispered, the words so light they were snatched from his lips by the breeze. 

But he knew deep down he didn’t believe it. _Fuck._

He felt his consciousness slide in two, it was something he’d done since he was very young. Observe from the outside, weigh the consequences, find your way out. He could easily go rogue. He could hurl the fucking phone into the crystalline water just a few feet away and be done with this, consequences be damned. 

But it wasn’t an option. 

Natasha, for all the heart he saw in her, would not be above using his brother as a bargaining chip if it came to blows, he was sure of it. As cold and calculating as he had always tried to be he knew he hadn’t fooled her for one second. He didn’t think she would kill Baldr, but she might ruin his life for good if it meant she had a chance to take down Thor. 

And Loki wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

He shoved his hand in his pocket and clenched his fist around the phone, cursing himself and the gods of chaos that dogged his every move. 

“Fuck,” he spat the word like it tasted bad. Then again, louder. “Fuck!”

There was only one thing he could do. His hands shook as he slid open the phone and punched in the shorthand and hit send. Then he hurled it into the gentle waves with all his might. 

He didn’t go back to the house until the stars had been above him for quite some time.

*

_Loki on the beach in Majorca. Art by Karu._

*

Thor was in the kitchen when he got back and didn’t seem surprised that Loki was just now getting in. Loki couldn’t quite muster the willpower to put on a show, so he settled for a dull nod. Thor’s expression flickered mildly but otherwise gave nothing away.

“How was the beach?” Thor asked. 

Loki couldn’t quite figure out if it was laced with suspicion or not and he found he didn’t really care. His heart still hadn’t stopped pounding and his head hurt. 

“It was fine,” he said, going to the fridge for water.

He didn’t bother to hide the fact that he felt beat up, mentally and physically (he had sprinted most of the way back and his lungs were still screaming at him). The cold water tasted incredible. He drank it greedily.

Thor seemed to be in a pensive mood and watched silently as he drank a second glass.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” Thor said. 

Loki shrugged and set the glass on the marble countertop, one hand resting on his hip. 

“I’m tired. It’s been a long week.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

This time Loki was the one who looked up. Thor’s eyes looked darker in the dim light, almost navy, deeply set beneath heavy brows that currently dipped into a faint ‘v’ of concern. Loki’s heart ached. 

“There’s not a whole lot to say,” he whispered. 

Thor just looked at him from where he sat on the counter, his palms pushed against the ledge as he leaned forward. He searched Loki for a moment and it seemed the later it got in the night the more open the other man became. The filters fell away to reveal Thor himself. 

Loki choked up a little bit under the gentle appraisal and had to look away. There was a soft thump as Thor slid off the counter and then he was being gathered into the solid, steady warmth of Thor’s chest. He went without a fight, reaching for him, his palms against the muscle there and breathing in the faint smell of the cologne that clung to his skin. 

“Your heart is still racing,” Thor murmured. “You don’t run often, do you?” 

“I hate it,” Loki admitted, his eyes closed. 

“Come here, love,” Thor’s arms tightened around him. Loki pressed into the deep rumble of his voice. “What’s got you so worked up, hm?”

He was prying and Loki knew it. He wanted to tell Thor everything. He wanted to confide everything in this man who, although he had every reason to mistrust him, had brought him into his life and seemed intent on keeping him there. 

Loki knew he didn’t have much in the way of good energy floating about in the universe, so this was obviously a stroke of luck. Although, he supposed the price of this fleeting comfort was the fact that he was the instrument of its destruction. 

It was a cruel fate. 

“Just tired,” was all he said. 

Thor didn’t press the matter. They stood like that in the kitchen, Thor rocking them back and forth gently, smoothing a hand across Loki’s hair and seeming content to stay that way. Loki clung to him like he might die if he were separated from him. Dramatic? Obviously. But in many ways true. If Loki knew himself at all he was liable to make terrible decisions when he was vulnerable and this time it actually might kill him...miserably. He’d been almost killed several times due to his own stupidity, of course, but this one might actually hurt him emotionally and that was worse. 

So he let Thor thread a hand through his hair and tilt his head back for a kiss. He let those strong arms pull him closer, winding low across his back, the other cupping his jaw. Loki let himself get lost in the softness of his lips and the way his beard felt against his face. 

If Thor left him here now he didn’t know if he could bear it. 

_Don’t leave me alone._

Thor didn’t. He took him against the counter. And then again on the couch. Loki surrendered to the rhythm of Thor’s fist and the heat of his breath as he whispered encouragement in his ear. Thor liked to face him, liked to watch him respond to his touch and swallow the sound of his whimpers in kisses when he was too much of a mess to get out the right words. Loki had expected a demanding lover of him and he was anything but. 

Even laid out on his bed, biting his lip to keep from moaning too loudly, Thor treated him like he was the only thing that had ever mattered and finished with his name on his lips. 

Love didn’t come from Thor in the form of a statement, it came in the way he brought people into his life and kept them there. A man of action to his core. 

He lay there against the odd coolness of the silk sheets and listened to Thor’s deep, even breathing next to him. 

Thor hadn’t kicked him out of bed, but Loki left as soon as he dared. It was hard. Thor looked something godlike laying there in the dark sheets, a rippling expanse of burnished muscle, bare-skinned and practically glowing, his hair fanned out around him like a golden halo. 

He didn’t belong next to that.

The bedside lamp clicked gently as he turned it off and left. 

When he got to his own bedroom, the light was on. Adrenaline blazed in his veins. He had a pretty good idea who would be waiting for him. He pushed the door open. 

Valkyrie was sitting on the edge of his bed looking for all the world like a cat with a mouse. Patient, smug, and entirely convinced of her superiority. She had lost her usual blazer, but she was still dressed in her suit, the top buttons of her shirt had been undone and her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. She looked like she’d been outside with the waves of her hair curling into her face, unusually tousled for her usual severe look.

“You’re very into exercise, aren’t you?” she said by way of greeting.

Loki leveled her with a flat stare. “Get out.”

Her lips formed a sly smile and she spread her hands. “I thought you were into late night chats. You and the boss seem to have so much to discuss.”

Loki remained silent. 

“Hit a nerve with that one, did I?” Val stood and took her time walking over, stalking him. “What’s going to happen when he finds out you’re a traitor? That you’re in this to take him down.”

He held her gaze stubbornly. 

“You know Thor’s biggest weakness is that he falls hard. We’ve been through it all together, me and him, and it’s his biggest weak spot. It’s just too bad I have to break his heart over you.”

She didn’t look the least bit sorry. Loki felt anger well up inside him. He growled deep in his throat. 

“You have nothing on me.”

“Don’t I, though?” She smiled and it was all teeth. “I am looking forward to seeing you on that beach for a little longer, I will say. It’s a shame you’re going to burn for it, you’re so pretty for such an ugly end.”

She let her shoulder check him on the way out. When the door closed behind her, the last of his careful veneer broke down. He sank to the floor and bit his fist to keep from sobbing out loud.

*

The next several days passed in a blur. He worked closely with Thor to secure the deal at the border in Istanbul, skirted around Val’s accusing gaze, and even managed to take Tyr into the city a couple of times for a change of pace.

“Mama, can Loki take me into town again? I want to draw.”

Loki glanced up from the table where he and Thor sat beneath the shade of large umbrellas. It was one of the many patios available around the house and this one had a pool. It was just a lap pool, not very deep or wide, but perfect for exercise. Hela was lying along the edge in her swimsuit, sunning herself while reading a magazine. She shielded her eyes with it as Tyr went bounding over, his hands full of paper. 

“Sweetheart, what about the things you have here at the house?” her low voice carried across the water. 

Tyr launched into what Loki was sure was a full list of reasons why they weren’t good enough. Thor laid a hand on his arm to get his attention. 

Loki looked over at him, enjoying the freedom he had to just _look at him._ Of course, Thor hadn’t bothered to dress in anything but a silk robe today and Loki didn’t understand why he was being required to concentrate on anything at all with...all that happening. What the hell else was he supposed to do when the silky, rich red fabric barely stood up to the task of being worn? Thor wore it casually and it hung open all the way down his chiseled abdomen until it cinched at his hips with a hastily knotted belt. Loki kept reaching over to tug it back over Thor’s shoulder, claiming he was going to get a sunburn. Thor let him, but the twinkle in his eye told him he knew perfectly well what Loki was doing. 

Currently, however, Thor was frowning behind large sunglasses, the only sun protection he’d bothered to bring out that morning. 

“How are you feeling about Hamid Junior coming along for the ride?” he asked, his eyes trained on the file he had in front of him. “You had your reservations about him, if I recall.”

“I can brush off some old contacts and see what the word is right now,” Loki said carefully.

“Do it. And let me know your personal take on the situation,” Thor finally looked up at him with a brilliant smile. “You are a partner, after all. You should get a say.”

“So magnanimous of you,” Loki rolled his eyes and earned a kiss on the cheek for it. 

He turned his head and caught Thor’s lips instead. Thor growled and caught his bottom lip, biting down playfully and eliciting a laugh from Loki. Then he returned to his work, a little smile playing on his lips. Loki’s chest squeezed painfully.

“I’m throwing a little get together this weekend, by the way,” Thor said absently, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and rifling through a few papers and jotting something down. “Thought we should have a meet and greet with some of the other players in the Istanbul deal. Let you get a read on things.”

“Trust my opinion, do you?” Loki teased lightly. 

“Yes, I do,” Thor said simply, not looking up as he reached over and squeezed Loki’s hand where it rested on the table. 

It was a simple gesture. Loki’s heart swelled at the same time his stomach dropped. He swallowed.

“Loki, can you take me into town?” 

He tore his eyes away from Thor to look at Tyr who had finally gotten brave enough to come ask. That or his mother had finally allowed him to. 

“What are we getting this time?” Loki asked him. 

Tyr listed a couple of supplies along with a healthy amount of reasoning that clearly he thought was necessary. Loki smiled at him. 

“Well, you’ll have to ask your uncle if that’s okay,” he said, jerking his head towards Thor. “He wants me to do all kinds of work, but I’d much rather go into town with you.”

He winked and Tyr giggled. 

“What do you think, Thor?” he asked, leaning back to look at him. 

Thor looked at the two of them over his glasses and sighed. “Oh alright, but you know the price, young man. Get over here.”

Tyr lit up and ran around the table to give Thor a hug. Thor fixed Loki with a pointed stare that looked immensely relieved and mouthed “thank you.” Loki rose and bent to give him a kiss before ushering Tyr inside to get ready. 

“Loki?” Thor called as he walked away, making him pause. “Take Carol with you.”

Loki waved him off and followed Tyr into the house.

*

Carol wasn’t super talkative, but Loki assumed that was just part of the job as personal security for Thor Odinson. She was slight, but hid the fact the she did little else than hit the gym beneath an ancient leather jacket, a ratty flannel, and jeans from too many decades ago.

“You know you’re a walking nostalgia starter pack, right?” Loki asked her as they pulled into town. “I need to know that you know so when people start staring at us, you’ll know it’s because that flannel is truly awful.”

“You sure talk a lot,” Carol closed her book and tossed it into the glove compartment.

“I’m just a concerned citizen trying to bring everyone into the twenty-first century,” Loki said blithely. “Surely there are other ways to conceal a shoulder holster in the summer.”

Carol snapped her gum and ignored him. Loki let the silence pass for a moment. 

He had to ask. He leaned forward until he could see the sharp profile of her nose. 

“Bubblicious or Bubble Tape?” 

She sighed and adjusted the brim of her ball cap. Loki smirked and sat back as Tyr chattered excitedly while they pulled into a parking spot. 

Tyr dragged him around the shops until Loki wanted to scream. He managed to entice him outside to get ice cream and sit outside for a little bit of respite, but once he finished the strawberry ice cream—in record time, since half of it ended up melting down his hand and his face—it was back to the art stores. 

Carol trailed behind them and took up a post near the door, adjusting her sunglasses and pretending to read a magazine. 

Loki watched Tyr scamper into the aisles and felt his remaining energy die a swift death. Whatever. Let the little man go nuts, his uncle could foot whatever bill he managed to rack up here, which actually come to think about it, might end up being quite expensive. He raised a brow when he caught the price tags on the Copic marker display. 

“If he’s pretty young, I would recommend the prisma colors to start with, they’re cheaper,” 

Loki felt his hair stand on end along the back of his neck and down his arms. 

Natasha.

She was dressed like a tourist all the way down to the brightly colored fanny pack and cheap sunglasses hanging from her neck. Her hair was long and brown and looked as if she’d used talcum powder to remove the shine from an artificial wig.

“What are you doing?” He muttered, bending to inspect the markers more carefully. “You know I have a security detail.” 

Natasha hummed. “Well, you know, when opportunity strikes.”

“I had to ditch the cell,” Loki said. “Too many suspicious eyes.”

“Got your list,” Natasha moved around him to look at a postcard stand. It squeaked as she turned it. 

“Loki, look what I found!” Tyr came barreling out of the depths of the store, a basket full of supplies in his arms. 

Loki crouched to take a look and Natasha moved to inspect another display. 

“Well, your uncle will certainly need to see a receipt on these, but I think they’re excellent.” He paused, casting a surreptitious glance at Carol who was currently blowing a giant bubble and picking at her fingernails. He addressed Tyr. “Hey, you know you might even be able to draw something up before the party on Saturday, hm? Do you remember who is coming? Ahmed or maybe Hamid Jr.?”

Tyr shook his head, bless him. “I don’t know who’s coming, Mama doesn’t let me listen to any of the grown ups talk. But I hope Morgan will be there because she’s my friend and they’ll let me leave the table to play if she comes.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Loki said, smiling through the blood rushing in his ears. “Is this everything you want?” 

Tyr nodded and Loki took it to the register to pay, forcing his suddenly clammy hands to steady as he handed the cashier the credit card and handed the bag of supplies to an excitedly bouncing Tyr. 

His heart pounded like the nails he’d just hammered into his own coffin. 

He didn’t look back as Carol followed them out of the shop.

*

As it would turn out, Tyr got his wish and Morgan did show up at the party. She was Tony’s daughter, and from what Loki understood from his wife, he was a lawyer. Fandral was there, whom he remembered as Thor’s main PR man, as well as a handful of other people he didn’t know. Hela looked stunning in a pastel rose dress that floated about her willowy figure in a way that disobeyed the laws of physics. Her dark hair had been left free to fall in big waves down her back and she smelled faintly of linen and roses when she breezed past him to greet some of the other women in the group.

Loki shoved one hand in his pocket and took a rather large swallow from his wine glass, unable to help it as his eye was, once again, drawn to Thor. He was padding around barefoot today, as usual, looking effortless in more of the same rich red color he had worn the other day. His hair was pulled back in a loose half ponytail, leaving the rest of it to tumble to his shoulders and around his face. 

It was unfathomably irritating how beautiful he was, really. Thor could have been mean and hideous and made this job so much easier, but he couldn’t even do that. And now Loki was in a veritable disaster of a situation that was going to get him killed. Maybe he would luck out and Thor would feel compelled to get rid of him himself, but more likely he was going to get taken to a back alley and beaten to a pulp by Valkyrie before dying at her hand and then buried where nobody would ever find him.

He gazed morosely down at his wine as his stomach did somersaults realizing he should probably slow down or he would end up puking over the balcony before dinner. 

Good times.

He set the glass down.

Valkyrie was outside. She had already been drinking for a while at this point and was laughing on the patio with one of the guests who had showed up, a dark-haired woman named Sif who seemed like she had a hell of a lot more to her beneath the ditzy surface she procured when she walked in.

He moved closer to catch a few of their words. Val tended to get chatty when she’d had a little wine and if she did know something, now was the time she would spill. She had been tailing him everywhere this past week, gleefully dangling his precarious situation over his head. He was about ninety percent certain her behavior was born of jealousy, since Thor seemed to be edging her out of his inner circle, but she was also a professional snoop. It was her job to know things and he was only happy to give her the benefit of the doubt if it meant it saved his neck.

“Darling!” 

His head snapped up at the sound of Thor’s voice to see him beckoning him over onto the patio, his gold sunglasses glinting in the sun. Loki snatched his glass from where he’d set it down and went to him. 

“Come meet our business partners,” Thor drew him in for a warm kiss that tasted like summer heat and wine. “You’ll get along splendidly. We’ll talk shop for a bit, make sure we’re set to leave, and then we can have dinner and relax. How does that sound?”

Loki smiled weakly and rose to his toes to catch Thor’s lips in another kiss to cover it. Thor pressed back into him indulgently, then slid his arm around his waist and pulled him close to steer him to the table to meet the others. Loki tried to ignore the squeeze in his chest. 

As it turned out, Thor had been edging Valkyrie out of this deal for business reasons, so she was bitter for many reasons he wasn’t aware of. Loki was interested to learn that he wasn’t the only one concerned with her liquor-loosened lips, but that they had been noticed many times before and it had a profound impact on Thor’s buyers. In essence, she was a liability and they wanted her gone. 

“They won’t sign if she’s involved,” Tony said with finality, tipping the end of his cigar into an ashtray. “Don’t even bother getting on a plane tomorrow if she’s not out of the picture.”

“I’m surprised you still have her around, old chap,” Fandral said, quirking a brow from behind a thick cloud of smoke. “If word gets out that she was at this little get together, we might find ourselves in a bit of a bind.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Val can be a bit handsy, a bit loose when the situation allows for it, but she’s never compromised a job,” Thor was frowning.

“It’s only for this job,” Pepper reminded him, tucking a strand of red hair behind an ear. Loki made the quick connection back to Tony. She was the CEO of his business in NYC and it was very obvious why. “If you’re not willing to dispose of her the way we suggested, then that’s on you.”

Tony held up a hand. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Odinson. I’m just telling you what, in my expert opinion—” he winced as Pepper cleared her throat and amended, “—what Pepper and my expert opinions are here.” 

Loki looked carefully between the three of them. 

Thor hummed, frowning thoughtfully and motioned Carol over. He whispered something to her and she nodded once. She left the patio and Loki watched her as she went. 

He should have expected it, honestly, but he was shocked when moments later a bottle broke against the brick patio behind him. He jumped and wasn’t entirely unaware of the fact that Thor’s arms immediately wrapped around him protectively. 

“You’re a dirty, two-faced snake!” 

The entire patio went deathly silent as Val stumbled into view looking disheveled and positively livid. Her suit was rumpled, shirt untucked and unbuttoned in places. And her hair was beginning to curl out of its elaborate braids, clinging to her neck and the sides of her face that was flushed with the warmth of too much alcohol. 

“You’re going to regret having that traitor by your side!” she pointed at Thor. 

Loki felt a horrible thrill like standing on the edge of a cliff when a sudden, stiff breeze decided to pick up. 

“Your beautiful lover is a fucking spy,” she spat at Thor’s feet. “You can’t see it because you’ve never been able to see past a pretty face, but I can. And I don’t have any fucking proof, but he’s going to be the reason you get _fucked_,” she shook her head and tripped a little but managed to steady herself. Then she giggled. “All hail, Thor Odinson!”

She giggled a little more, performing a shakey, mocking bow as Carol came up behind her and grabbed her arm. 

“Time to go,” Carol said calmly. 

“God, you’re beautiful,” Val smiled stupidly at her. “It’s too bad you’re married to the job, hm? We could have had fun.”

“Carol,” Thor said warningly. 

Carol nodded and dragged Val away from the party with a few choice and stern words. The party seemed to take a collective breath and let it out slowly. 

Thor’s arms tightened around him, pulling him closer and shifted back to the table. “Sorry about that. Shall we get dinner started?”

The table responded enthusiastically and, as if nothing had happened, began chatting amongst themselves. It felt as false as Loki felt, rigid in Thor’s arms like he was about to be snapped in half. His heart was beating in his throat. If he even trusted himself to speak right now it may have just vomited up with the rest of the wine he had earlier. 

Thor noticed.

“Don’t mind her, darling,” his voice was soft and low in Loki’s ear as he placed a kiss at his temple. “We’ve been planning this for a long time now. Unfortunately, you just happened to be a perfectly timed scapegoat. She’ll get over it.”

Loki nodded and reached for his wine glass again. 

They left for Istanbul soon, and if Natasha was as smart as he knew she was, she would have put two and two together before they got there. It was just a waiting game now to see if he’d managed to salvage his shitty life or not. 

Thor laughed behind him and he tried to focus on the way it warmed him from the inside out.

He tried to enjoy the rest of the night, but the bitter taste in the back of his throat never left. It didn’t help that Thor was particularly liberal with his affection once he’d had a couple of drinks. Loki’s heart ached. He spent the time memorizing the stupid things about Thor such as the way he gesticulated when he spoke or the little snort of laughter he couldn’t contain when he was truly amused. 

But the ache in his chest grew until he felt like a hollow shell, observing his world collapse around him to the taste of wine and the sound of laughter.

*

Thor took him to bed that night. Loki felt the gates of hell opening wide to receive him in the afterlife as he let Thor sink into him. They were both damp with perspiration and the salt from the air that caught on their skin from spending the day in the sun. Thor was warm, as always, heated by the sun both day and night.

Loki dragged him close, inarticulate sounds of need escaping his mouth. He wanted to be touched by Thor across every inch of his skin, their bodies molded together by design. Perfect. Meant to be. 

The silk sheets were cool against the backs of his hands as Thor stretched them overhead and held him there with one massive hand, the other free to push through his hair and trace his jaw, holding him still to kiss him deeply. Heat and wine soaked breath poured down his throat and he whimpered, struggling to press upward for more. Thor chuckled into him and told him to slow down.

Thor was moving agonizingly slowly, dragging against him until he didn’t know which way was up, until he couldn’t form a thought outside of Thor's name. 

Thor laughed then and finally gave in and found their rhythm, looming above him, his chest gleaming in the dim light as he moved, still pinning Loki’s wrists steady above his head. When Loki could barely breathe from the pleasure he could feel Thor’s movements became erratic. Loki slipped a wrist from his grasp and guided his free hand down to close over himself. It took less than a couple firm strokes. 

He gasped and Thor cried out and crushed their lips together, their moans tangling together until they were spent. 

Thor sagged against him and all but crushed him into the mattress. Loki wrapped his arms around him and held him there, pleasantly trapped beneath the weight of his limbs. 

Eventually they did move. Thor dragged him into the shower and took him a second time against the black stone walls beneath the warmth of the rainfall shower. Then he spun him around and took him into his mouth, swallowing him down until Loki was scrabbling for purchase along the slippery stone. 

They didn’t bother with clothes after that, instead sliding into the silk sheets, bare, clean, and exhausted. Thor pulled him in close, fitting them together. Loki watched the dust swirl in the orange glow from the bedside lamp. 

“Thor?” he asked after a long while. 

“Hm?”

“What did you do with Valkyrie?”

“Don’t tell me you’re still upset about that?” Thor’s fingers smoothed his hair away from his face in a tender motion. 

“What’s going to happen to her?” Loki pressed, chewing on a lip. 

Thor sighed. “Best sex of my life and you’re talking to me about Val afterwards. That really has to be some kind of faux pas,” he growled the words, but his fingers continued to slide delicately through the damp strands of Loki’s hair. “Very well. Val is a good friend but a very jealous one. She’s only being removed from this deal so that things go without a hitch. The time off should get her head back on straight again.”

Loki considered this, his eyes returning to the swirling orange light. Thor was very sentimental for being who he was. But Thor had also said—

“You said best sex of your life?”

Thor laughed tiredly, drawing his hand through Loki’s hair over and over again in slow, soothing motions. “You heard that, hm?”

Loki smiled a little. He reached over to turn the light off and then pulled Thor’s heavy arm around himself and curled against him. 

“I love you,” Thor murmured softly as he settled back in, his voice thick with sleep.

It sent a rush of warmth through him, but it wasn’t as sweet as it should have been, tainted by the knowledge of how he’d gotten there. 

It didn’t make his next words any less true. 

“I love you, too,” he whispered.

*

_i'm prepared for this_  
_i never shoot to miss_  
_but i feel like a storm is coming_  
_if i'm gonna make it through the day_  
_then there's no more use in running_  
_this is something i gotta face_  
_i want to feel love, run through my blood_  
_tell me is this where I give it all up?_  
_for you i have to risk it all_  
_'cause the writing's on the wall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I'd like to mention that this art is my favorite of all the gorgeous pieces [Karu](https://twitter.com/karulatte) produced for this fic. <3 <3 <3 
> 
> -Lyrics are from [The Mighty Fall by Fall Out Boy](https://open.spotify.com/track/4rNOFJdwQq0ulVDKOF447L?si=uST7GYVtT3GlBvYDx_uQ2A) and [Writing's On The Wall by Sam Smith](https://open.spotify.com/track/4oWmroatZtMmlgc3havMrv?si=dDqUfzZUQsyJMR5DWGvY1Q) respectively. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


	4. Writing's On The Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, let's get one thing straight here: I'm absolute shit at time management. 
> 
> SO SORRY for the delay. Again. Thank you so much for following along with me despite it all, it has truly been my pleasure to bring this story to life for you and I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> ***important note: as i actually have no real experience with any of this stuff, some of the dialogue in this chapter is taken directly/modified from the original show (S1E5) you can find a clip of it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLGGVL64xis). Or you can find the show itself on amazon prime, if you're a hypocrite like me and have amazon prime. XD***

_a lover on the left_  
_a sinner on the right_  
_stay for as long as you have time_  
_so the mess that we'll become_  
_leaves something to talk about_  
_just lay in the atmosphere_  
_a casual affair (hush-hush, don't you say a word)_

*

_Loki finally stays the night. Art by Karu._

*

**/ Palma De Mallorca, Spain // 0500 GMT+2**

He woke up slowly, surrounded by warmth and a suspicious sensation that felt a lot like rest. Behind him, Thor’s chest rose and fell, smooth and even as he slept, his heavy arm wrapped around Loki’s chest, a leg hiked up over his hip. Loki bit his lip and traced his fingers lightly along Thor’s forearm, savoring the simple touch and soaking in the weight of him. 

A slight hitch in breath told him Thor had stirred. He slid his foot along Thor’s calf and kissed his knuckles. 

Thor made a pleased noise deep in his throat. “You stayed.”

“I did,” Loki hummed in response, interlacing their fingers. 

He shivered when Thor’s lips pressed against the back of his neck and sent goosebumps skittering across his skin. 

“Thor—” he protested.

“Yes, love?” Thor rumbled with amusement, continuing to press hot, open-mouthed kisses against his skin with no indication he was going to be stopping anytime soon. 

“Nothing,” he breathed.

Heat licked up inside his body and he had no power to suppress it, so he closed his eyes and arched back into Thor, pulling him closer with his foot. Thor let out a heavy exhale and pinned him in place with the thigh he still had slung over his hip, powerful hands moving across Loki’s chest like they’d done it a thousand times already. Loki sucked in a breath and reached up to catch Thor’s neck, his hips moving of their own accord.

Thor growled, frustrated, and suddenly Loki found himself flipped onto his back, his hips between Thor’s knees while he towered over him for the space of a heartbeat. He kissed Thor’s giant fingers as they brushed down his face and caught on his lips, warm, soft, perfect. 

It was hard not to be completely consumed with Thor pressing love into the salt of his skin, Loki felt his chest fill with emotion until he thought it might burst. Something had found its way deep inside him and taken root within his very bones. He hadn’t been this _happy_ in a long time. If he really thought about it, perhaps he had never been this happy.

Would that they could stay like this forever.

Thor rocked back onto his heels and tugged him up. Loki climbed onto his lap breathing harshly in the salt-damp space between them, all at once too close and not close enough. Then Thor’s arms wound around his back to anchor him. Loki rode him until his legs ached and a fractured, bastardized version of his name fell from Thor’s lips in a strangled shout.

When he recovered, Thor took him into his arms to lay him against the silk sheets, kissing his neck, his chest, and his stomach before taking him into his mouth and working him until he came so hard he saw stars. 

Thor flopped down beside him, laughing, and Loki smiled blissfully, basking in the afterglow to the sound of Thor’s voice. It wasn’t until after they’d showered that the dread of reality settled on his sternum like an anvil.

It didn’t help that Thor was, if possible, more affectionate than ever. With each soft, casual touch, Loki felt his nausea grow until he feared he wouldn’t be able to hide it. He was distantly grateful that Valkyrie wasn’t around to push him into doing something extra stupid. It seemed there were no depths to which he couldn’t sink when it came to that. 

They were headed for Istanbul in a couple hours. Thor had somebody pack for him, and chose lay on Loki’s bed, chatting nonsense while Loki selected enough to get him through a couple days in the heat. 

They flew out in a different jet, smaller, but just as luxurious. This time Fandral, Tony, Pepper, and Carol came along for the ride. 

Loki spent a good portion of the first half of the flight reviewing his own spec sheets. Thor wanted him to appear as a major partner, as such he was going to be performing the demonstration and he had, as Thor put it, “better know his fucking stuff.”

When he was certain he could recite the details in his sleep, he flipped the folder shut and tucked himself against Thor’s side, peering down at his iPad as he reviewed his own spec sheets and made any final arrangements. Thor asked him for his input or advice in things with surprising regularity, which was both flattering and unnerving. 

The flight was long enough that Thor eventually dragged him into his private quarters to make quick work of the buttons on his shirt and slacks, dropping to his knees before Loki had a chance to say something and making him scramble for a handhold in record time. Loki returned the favor, shoving Thor up against the door and pinning him there, only too grateful to put all thoughts from his mind as he focused on the firm muscles beneath his fingers and the noises he was causing to come out of Thor’s mouth.

Afterward, Thor swept him up and kissed him passionately, then took him to the bed where they fell asleep for the remainder of the flight, tangled in each other’s arms. 

*

**/ Kasimli, East Turkey // 1405 GMT+3**

It was disgustingly hot when they touched down. Drowsy and back in a state of melancholy, Loki followed Thor back out into the main cabin as the jet taxied into place. He could feel the heat even before they opened the main door and when they did it became stifling. Why he’d chosen to wear a suit was beyond him, but Thor seemed perfectly at home in his. 

He sulked about it to Thor as they descended the boarding ramp into the spacious hangar and was greatly annoyed when Thor laughed at him and told him his suit was designed for weather like this, it was basically performance wear. 

“I hate you,” Loki said, discomfort coloring his tone. 

Thor laughed and drew him into a hug. “I know, darling, I wanted to have one made for you but there simply wasn’t time. I promise we’ll order you a few as soon as we’re finished here,” he said, leaning in to add in a low voice, “But if it helps, you look absolutely ravishing.” 

“You are insufferable,” Loki griped, but made no effort to remove himself from the embrace. 

As it stood, he would suffer a lot to stay there. Thor loosened his iron grip enough to dip in and catch his lips in a fierce kiss. Loki’s heart wanted to soar, but it remained stubbornly in his shoes. He ended the kiss quickly, smiling and hoping it didn’t look as sickly as he felt. Fortunately, he was saved closer scrutiny as a set of armored humvees rolled up to the hangar. 

Thor released Loki quickly with a final peck to his temple and straightened his jacket. Loki did the same. Showtime. A stocky man with a full beard and non-regulation fatigues got out and walked over to them.

“Ah, Jasper, good to see you old friend,” Thor exclaimed happily, clapping the man’s forearm with his own massive hand by way of greeting. 

“Likewise,” Jasper said.

“This is my associate, Andrew, Director of Tradepass.” 

“How do you do?”

Loki smiled and shook his hand firmly. “Very well, thank you.”

“Excellent.” 

They drove for quite some time. It was very dusty and Loki thought he might suffocate from the amount of sand that caught in his throat. Maybe he would choke and die, he thought grimly, and then at least he wouldn’t have to suffer through the agony of his situation. The words he put in his final text to Natasha and the ones he’d meant for her ears back at the art store swirled uselessly around his brain.

Thor took the first vehicle and motioned for him to follow. Having him near gave him little comfort, but they were business partners in this particular adventure, so Thor sat on the other side of the car, chatting amiably with the driver. Loki took pulled in a long, slow breath and let it out through his nose and resigned himself to watching cacti zip past the window. Inevitably, he began to entertain various scenarios of his death. Thor wouldn’t do it himself, it wasn’t his style. More likely than anything, he would simply have Carol take care of him, she would put a bullet in his head and leave him somewhere in the desert waste, never to be found again. Or he might let Valkyrie do it when they returned to Spain as an apology for not taking her word. It wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility. 

“You have relief efforts stationed here?” he asked, frowning as they passed a small set of well-established tents and a few permanent establishments. An armored guard ushered them through a makeshift barricade. 

“Preliminary efforts, yes,” Thor said, smiling. “We have a lot of opportunities here for both philanthropic efforts and research. We provide supplies to surrounding cities as needed and in turn they allow us to conduct research here and leave our other activities largely unquestioned.”

“Clever,” Loki murmured as he watched a group of men unload a truck full of boxes.

Thor hummed. “Yes, quite.”

Loki pushed his sunglasses up further on his nose and resisted the urge to pick at the rubber lining along the window as they left the small encampment behind. The scenery sped past them.

Eventually they did arrive at their final destination, an encampment of some kind that Loki had only gotten a cursory briefing on. He straightened as it came into view.

“Welcome to The Haven,” Jasper said from the driver’s seat.

Loki watched it grow larger as they approached. It was less encampment and more full on military base in the middle of nowhere. It was bit on the nose to call it _The Haven_, but Thor seemed to fancy himself a bit of a comedian and Loki didn’t doubt for a second he’d gone to sleep chuckling about it. What an idiot. He felt a surge of affection for the big blonde. 

The wind kicked up as they exited the vehicles. Loki didn’t miss the fact that several soldiers immediately fell in around them with practiced subtlety, a security detail even now. Tony and Pepper walked over with Fandral in tow. Carol lagged behind them.

“Let’s take a look around, shall we?” Thor clapped his hands together. 

Jasper motioned with a hand. “Absolutely, sir.”

Loki squinted behind his sunglasses and followed Thor’s lead. 

“Our opportunities come from chaos,” Thor explained, sliding his hands into his pockets in an easy, relaxed manner as they strolled. “It happens all over the world in virtually the same way, but this is our little piece of the action. We can train armies to fight in deserts, mountains; we can teach them anti-guerilla tactics, how to handle political insurgency, and for a small surcharge we can even send in teams of our own to manage specific targets.” When Loki gave him a quizzical look, he shrugged. “Assassinations, fake terror plots, even the odd coup. Isn’t that right Jasper?”

Jasper nodded easily. “Yes, sir.”

Thor gave Loki an amused glance. “Jasper may seem like a teddy bear, but don’t let him catch you out at night.”

Fandral barked a laugh behind them, which was more than enough confirmation. Not that Loki hadn’t already noticed the grizzled scars along Jasper’s arms and the sinewy build of him, the result of many years of survival as an independent contractor of war. Loki knew the type only too well. 

From there, Jasper actually took over the tour, leading them through the newer daily workings of their operation. Loki pushed his hands in his pockets as they walked, listening with one ear as he ran his own internal evaluation. By the looks of it, Thor had hired a crew of mainly...mercenaries. He had his fair share of experience with the type and found them to be a highly likable group of people, generally speaking. Anyway, they were much more his speed than the business side of Thor’s circle.

“What do you think, Andrew?” Thor asked as they drew near the edge of the camp.

Loki realized belatedly that Jasper had stopped talking. Thor was looking down at him with a fond smile, one Loki knew he reserved just for him. For all his subtleties, he could read Thor like book. 

“It’s quite something,” he said softly.

“It is, isn’t it?” Thor looked pleased. “Well, I think it’s time to freshen up and then I think you had better practice your sales pitch on me,” he winked. “We want you to be polished, don’t we?”

Loki allowed himself a grin at that. “Couldn’t hurt.”

“No,” Thor said. “No, it couldn’t.”

*

Thor took him back to a residential tent that had clearly been set up for him specifically. There they stripped from their sweaty suits, showered in tepid water, and slipped into much more appropriate attire. Loki breathed a sigh of relief as he cinched a pair of fatigues around his hips, appreciating the breathability of the fabric and the range of motion it afforded him. Thor seemed to like it as well because he took one look at him and pulled him in for a fierce kiss that left him breathless.

They traveled to the demo location ahead of time. Loki reviewed his talking points while Thor relaxed in the shade with a whiskey in hand, reclining by a temporary bar set up for their purposes tonight. He paced so much that eventually Thor took pity on him and laughingly called him over to discuss the plot of the most recent book he’d picked up, one that Loki had recommended him months earlier. 

It was dark when their tentative partners rolled in, accompanied by their own security entourage and a fleet of vehicles. 

Loki watched with no small amount of pride as Thor rose and switched on his most charming persona to greet them. It was Thor at his best and most dangerous. Loki could almost taste the electricity of him, practically injecting tension into the dusty air in a way only he could. 

It both terrified and energized him. 

Hamid Sr. looked as Loki remembered him. Sharp, uncompromising, and astute. He did not present as luxuriously as Thor did, but he was equally as intimidating. Where Thor strategically hid the darker, more grizzled sides of himself, Hamid Sr. made a point to bring them to the forefront of his persona. 

Loki had played games with harder men and won, but he had taken great pains to avoid Hamid Sr. and all his dealings. Some things were better left alone.

Thor motioned him forward. “Mr. Hamid, meet Andrew Birch. He will be doing our little demonstration tonight.”

“How do you do,” Loki grasped the other man’s hand firmly and gave him his best smile. “Pleased to have you here.”

Hamid Sr. regarded him with sharp, dark eyes that missed nothing. “The pleasure is mine, Mr. Birch. Looking forward to what you have to offer.”

“Only the best, Sir,” Loki smiled. “Can I interest you in a cigar or a drink before we get started? Perhaps both?”

“Gentlemen, please, right this way,” Fandral showed their guests to their seats and handed out cigars, lights, and a couple fingers of an expensive whiskey that Thor had personally selected. 

“Excellent,” Loki said, reaching for a pair of headphones with mic attached. “If you’ll be so kind as to don the headphones we have provided, you will be able to follow along with the presentation this way.”

“Will it be loud?” One of the guests asked, frowning at the large headphones. 

Loki grinned. “I certainly hope so, sir.” There was collective laughter at that. He stepped up to the control station and picked up a long-range radio. Then to Jasper he said, “Alright, let’s get this show started.”

Jasper flashed him a thumbs up. 

Loki took a deep breath and brought the radio to his lips. “This is Guy Fawkes, all players on the flare in ten.”

A crackle of static.

“Roger, Guy Fawkes, on the flare in ten.”

He turned and held out the flare gun. “Mr. Hamid, would you care to do the honors?”

Mr. Hamid rose and straightened his jacket, taking the gun from Loki with steady hands. 

“Forty-five degrees into the air,” Loki pointed up and out. “Mind the kick.”

There was a pop and a long hiss as the flare jumped into the sky. Loki took the gun back and thanked Mr. Hamid. 

From there he rolled into his spiel, narrating the planned demonstration while pinpointing the features of each piece of weaponry that was on display. Talking was one of his many talents, it always had been, so it was easy to put himself on autopilot and let his gaze wander over to where Thor sat just behind him, the deep, penetrating blue of his eyes looking back at him, flickering with the reflection of the destruction beyond. 

Something about it made the air catch in his chest and he knew in that moment he would do anything for this man. It was a moment that came entirely too late.

He turned away and completed the rest of the presentation to scattered applause and Thor’s gaze burning into the back of his neck. 

“Impressive,” Mr. Hamid said, a hint of admiration in the crease of his brow. “Very impressive, Mr. Odinson. I don’t believe it is too early for me to say I will be seeing you, along with my constituents very soon.”

“You are too kind, sir,” Thor said grandly, shaking his hand in a masterfully humble display of modesty. “We look forward to seeing you then.”

Loki shook hands with him as well and stood next to Thor as they rolled away into the darkness, silent even as Fandral packed up the rest of their things and began to dismantle the other gear on site. 

Thor drove back to the compound, just the two of them. Loki found solace in the warmth of Thor’s hand as it lay across his thigh, demanding nothing, simply there for the pleasure of being able to casually touch him.

“You did well,” Thor told him softly later on in the darkness of the tent, sleepy and comfortable as they lay together on the bed. “I’m proud of you.”

Dread crept back into his bones. He murmured something back, maybe thanks. As Thor fell asleep behind him, he became more and more awake—restless, staring wide-eyed into the pitch black before him and hoping it would swallow him whole.

*

His hands shook when he put on his socks that morning.

They never shook. Loki gritted his teeth and shoved his feet into his boots, lacing them up with fingers that refused to remain steady. It was everything he could do to not curl up on the floor right there and give up. 

He was relying on Natasha to interpret two instances of cryptic information and while she had never failed in the past, he was doubting her now for reasons he was literally pulling out of thin air. Anxiety could be a real bitch. 

“Good morning! You’re looking a bit pale,” Thor announced his presence from the flap of the tent, looking positively luminous while backed with early morning light. “Could it possibly be nerves?”

Loki managed a weak smile at him. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

“Not a chance,” Thor’s eyes twinkled as he hooked a finger beneath his chin and brought him to standing. “You’re made of steel, darling, don’t think I’ve forgotten. I saw it in you the first time we met,” his eyes were sharp, focused, intense. But when he brushed a stray lock of hair from Loki’s eyes his touch was surprisingly gentle. “What do you need today?”

It was a simple enough question, but emotion welled up in his eyes anyway. Loki hastily turned away, making up some reason to walk across the tent. He leaned on the makeshift dresser to steady himself.

“When do we leave?” he asked and he was proud that his voice was even. 

“As soon as you’re ready,” Thor said softly. 

Loki could hear the rustle of his suit in the stillness of the moment, a familiar sound. But the panic was becoming unbearable. If he didn’t get out now, he would never make it through. 

He turned around, dry-eyed and smiling. “Let’s go.”

Thor looked up from his phone and looked him over fondly. “There’s my little snake.”

Loki kissed him before exiting the tent first.

The deal went down several miles from camp in a remote military establishment. It was small and low-profile, nearly deserted except for the crew and the line of trucks that were parked in a neat line, packed and ready to go.

Some of the mercenary team was there as added security. One of them was a mean looking woman who had introduced herself on day one as Maria Rambeau. She had spent the entirety of their time in the mercenary lounge tent whetting a large knife the size of California. She was tall and terrifying and looked like she would happily sink the aforementioned knife into somebody on a twenty dollar bet without discretion.

She looked perfectly at ease today, leaning against the back of one of the trucks, her eyes obscured by a pair of sunglasses.

Loki wondered briefly if he might die by knife and immediately decided it was his least appealing thought so far. 

“Maria, how are you?” Thor waved at her brightly.

“Right as rain, sir,” Maria responded with a sloping grin. “You look like you need something.”

“Astute as always,” Thor said. “I think we might find Mr. Birch could do with a drink before today’s festivities. Something to take the edge off, I think.”

Maria cocked her head his way. “I’m sure I can whip something up.”

“You’re too good to me,” Thor said, clapping Loki on the back and giving his shoulders a subtle squeeze. 

Loki wanted to die. 

Maria took him across the encampment to a small, enclosed lounge area. It was a longer walk than it looked, made much longer by the fact that Maria wasn’t much of a talker. Loki was already sweating bullets. She, on the other hand, looked quite comfortable in the heat.

She poured him whiskey and he noted gratefully that she dropped in a ball of ice as well. The taste burned as it slid down his throat.

“So, you and the big boss, huh?” Maria asked, folding her arms. “Lucky you.”

Loki couldn’t stop the flush that spread across his cheeks. She laughed. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” she said, waving carelessly before pouring herself a couple fingers as well. “Nobody gives a damn out here as long as he signs the checks.”

“That obvious, is it?” Loki asked. 

“Well, I am paid because I’m good at noticing things,” Maria pointed out, raising a brow. “But _damn_, honey, you got it bad.”

“Thanks,” Loki said dryly. 

He was grateful for the whiskey taking his mind off things, if only for a moment. It felt almost like he might make it through the day again. That was, until they made it back to the main hangar and he saw Thor on the phone, his face creased in anger.

Straining his ears caught him the last few words of his conversation.

“—in which room again? Room twelve thirty three. Yes, have Valkyrie take care of it.”

Loki felt his heart stop, whether from relief or terror he wasn’t sure. It meant Natasha had done everything he could have hoped for.

It also meant his cover was blown.

His stomach dropped like lead and he felt the blood drain from his face. When Thor turned around and saw him, there was no trace of kindness in his eyes, nothing that might indicate the intimacy and emotion they shared for the last several months. And to his credit, Thor didn’t look like a man who had just found out he’d been betrayed. What he did look like was an illicit arms dealer who had just found the wrench in a multi-million dollar deal. 

“Andrew,” Thor said, his voice as bright and cold as steel. “Let me show you to the hospitality area.”

Loki took shallow breaths as he walked ahead of Thor, gun or no gun at his back, Thor didn’t need to encourage him to walk to his own grave. His body was numb. He took no comfort in the fact that two armed guards followed them. They were new security detail and Loki hadn’t met them before but that was just as well.

It wasn’t a hospitality area. He knew it wouldn’t be. Still, he stalled in the door of the small metal storage unit, a final hail mary before he sealed his fate. 

Maybe if he’d been religious he might have had something of comfort in the end, but he didn’t. 

“I’ll take your phone, please,” Thor held out his hand stiffly.

Loki didn’t dare look at him as he handed it over. He swallowed dryly.

“Listen, Thor, I—” 

Thor punched him in the gut.

Loki doubled over with a cry, gasping as a few ribs bent too far. Thor was frighteningly strong, he was acutely aware of the fact, but he had never had to experience it like this. Tears streamed down his face. He didn’t have any time to recover as Thor grabbed him by the back of the collar and hauled him across the room and all but threw him into the chair there. 

The pain punched the breath from his lungs.

“Search him,” Thor motioned one of the guards lazily as if he didn’t care. “I don’t think he’s got any weapons, but make sure he’s not wearing a wire.” 

Loki inhaled sharply as the guard slammed him back in the chair and frisked him roughly. He wouldn’t find anything. 

“He’s clean, sir.”

Thor’s eyes flickered. “Good. Get out. And close the door behind you.”

The guard left promptly and the door screeched shut behind him, sealing his fate. Loki coughed, wincing as his abdomen smarted. It had been a long time since he’d had to deal with repercussions quite so severe.

“You know, it’s such a rare thing for me to trust somebody,” Thor laughed humorlessly. 

Loki found his breath and it came out a sob. “Thor, listen to me, please—”

“No, I am _done_!” Thor rounded on him angrily.

He was red in the face and panting slightly, his eyes a little wild. Loki had never seen him lose control before. He hated it with his entire soul. He hated that it was his fault and he hated to see it directed at him. It hurt worse than his ribs ever could.

“I am done listening to you and your lies, I should have known.” Thor’s finger shook as he thrust it at Loki, still standing too far away like he might get burned if he got too close. “Valkyrie was right all along, she tried to warn me about you and I didn’t listen.”

“Thor,” Loki pleaded. “Allow me to explain.”

“I trusted you!” Thor spat. “You don’t get to say a damn thing. Tell me who you are working with!”

“Nobody—”

Thor hurled the cell phone with all his might. It barely missed Loki’s face and hit the wall behind him with a reverberating clang.

“I said _who are you working with?_” Thor shouted.

He loomed over him, somehow bigger than ever, menacing, cruel even, but Loki knew him better than that. Even through the blur of tears he saw him for what he was: cheated, furious, and hurt. Heartbroken.

Tears dripped from his jaw. “I’m not working with anybody, Thor, not anymore. Please believe me, I was—”

“Tell me!”

“I was!” Loki screamed over him and immediately collapsed back into the chair with cry as pain shot through his torso. “I _was._ American agency. They put me in your path. But I swear I stopped a long time ago. I haven’t given them anything in months.”

“Who?” Thor demanded. 

“I don’t know, she never gave me an agency name,” Loki waved a hand, defeated. “I’ve been feeding her false information. You have to believe me.”

Funny, really. He’d spent his entire life selling lies and now he was going to die telling the truth. Death was not without a sense of irony, it seemed. 

“Give me one reason I have to trust you?” Thor walked over. 

Loki stared numbly at the tips of his boots, wishing for death. 

“You don’t,” he whispered. 

Thor grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked his head back until Loki was forced to look him in the face. He fought down a scream as pain ripped through him. 

“Are you going to kill me?” he rasped. 

Thor chuckled darkly. “Oh no, I imagine I’ll have Valkyrie do the honor, she deserves it. But lucky for you, you’re still part of this deal so I _can’t_ kill you yet,” he ran a finger along Loki’s face the way he had done so many times before. Now it felt like a burn against his skin. “So you’re going to walk out there, you’re going to put on the performance of your goddamn life, and I’ll think about asking her to make it less painful for you.” His eyes glittered. “But then again, she’s not the best listener.”

Loki couldn’t stop the tears as they slipped from his eyes. Thor’s expression shifted just slightly and Loki caught the real story in that glimpse, the muscles of his face twisting to reveal the hurt he was valiantly trying to cover up with his anger.

“How could you?” Thor added in a harsh whisper, distantly like he had forgotten where he was, his voice trembling ever so slightly, “Jesus, I got you so wrong...”

He released Loki roughly. 

“Clean yourself up and smile, _darling._” he spat the last word like it had offended him. 

To be fair, in a way Loki supposed it had.

It cut him deeper than any sword could, slicing right between the bones and burying itself somewhere in the empty cavity of his chest where his heart should have been, right in the center of his soul. 

He felt hollow as he straightened himself up gingerly. Thor sneered in disgust as he passed, and he heard the distinctive click of weapons being trained at his back. He did his best to not wince as they made their way back over the uneven terrain towards the hangar. 

It was cool in the hangar and the massive doors had been rolled up to display the multiple trucks that were packed to the brim with product.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mister Hamid,” Thor said his voice artificially cheerful, fully back in business mode. “I assure you we are fully prepared to have you leave here today with your goods.”

Loki took a quick look around the room. He’d gotten this far. He should have been relieved when Hamid Jr. was nowhere to be seen, but he didn’t feel anything.

“No Hamid Jr. today?” Thor was asking, as if on cue. 

“Sorry, no,” Hamid Sr. shook his head. “My son had other things to handle today. Mr. Birch, how are you?”

“Mr. Hamid, pleasure,” Loki gritted his teeth through the firm handshake and felt the blood rush to his face. 

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Thor caught his eye and smiled coldly, a threat. He turned away and gestured grandly beyond the open doors, addressing Mr. Hamid. “As you can see, six trucks, loaded with the spec like we agreed, complete with drivers who are ready to deliver to a location of your choosing,” he paused for effect, his sharp eyes evaluating. 

Mr. Hamid’s eyes swept over the trucks. He looked pleased and Thor knew it. 

“If you’re content with what you see, I suggest we go ahead and process the second half of the payment.”

Loki forced his face to look somewhat pleasant as Mr. Hamid nodded and Tony brought over the laptop with banking information pulled up. Loki watched carefully as Fandral sidled over to Thor and whispered in his ear. Thor’s face hardened but he didn’t say anything. 

His heart beat anxiously in his ears. He’d been feeding Natasha information for weeks. It was all accurate information, so she had been tracking real events, it just wasn’t the correct information, per se. If all went according to plan, she would be sending US forces to take down Hamid Jr., who was brokering a deal today a couple cities over in his ever-present mania to overthrow his father. A bastard, but a predictable one. 

It was down to the wire now.

He swallowed hard and tried to come to terms with the idea that even if he did pull this off he would end up in a sandy grave beyond the encampment fences all the same. 

He hit enter on the computer and signed his part of the deal. Thor signed his next. Mr. Hamid’s assistant transferred the money and then turned the laptop towards them to show it had been completed. 

“Please check,” Mr. Hamid said graciously. 

Thor smiled and brought his phone to his ear. 

“Yes, Thor Odinson here, good morning. Tradepass for authorization, please,” he said. “Excellent. Mr. Birch will complete the transaction.”

His eyes were flinty as he handed the phone over. Loki took it without comment and allowed it to scan his eye. A green checkmark flashed on the screen and he passed it back with his best customer service smile. 

“Congratulations, Mr. Hamid, as always, it was a pleasure.”

And that was it. There was a great rumble as the trucks started their engines and pulled away from the hangar. Champagne was popped, hearty enthusiasm shared, and handshakes exchanged. 

It all felt rather anticlimactic after everything.

As they drove away in armored vehicles, Loki was left with an impending sense of doom. His ribs were sore and he wished the ground would swallow him whole. He didn’t want to watch Thor reject him any more than he already had. He would genuinely rather die. 

He had always told himself not to fall in love. 

As the last car pulled away and left them standing in the middle of the empty hangar, Thor remained there for a long, long while, stock still, his breath the only disturbance in the otherwise quiet afternoon.

Loki forced himself to stay upright.

“You,” Thor turned to him, pushing his hands into his pockets, his face unreadable. “You have quite a lot of talking to do.”

*

As it turned out, his plan had gone perfectly.

Halfway through Thor’s interrogation of him that night, Fandral had interrupted. Loki placed a hand along his ribs to stabilize himself as he shifted in his seat. Thor was frowning as Fandral talked, but as the seconds passed his eyes widened and he began to look at Loki with something akin to admiration. Loki desperately hoped it meant Natasha had taken his word at face value and done everything to the letter. 

Fandral left and Thor stared at him, his eyes flickering as he worked through what it all meant. 

“Did it work?” he asked tiredly. 

He didn’t have the energy to panic anymore, even his anxiety and dread had been hovering at such a high level that they had finally given up. He just felt numb.

“You clever little snake,” Thor murmured, pacing slowly. “You absolutely wretched little bastard.”

Loki smiled bleakly. “Well, don’t keep a guy waiting. Did it work or not?”

“Shut up,” Thor pointed at him, but it held none of the previous venom. “I need to think.”

Loki sighed and let his head fall forward onto his chest. But he really wanted to know…

“It was Hamid Jr, wasn’t it? US troops search and seizure of an arms deal?”

“I thought I told you to stop talking.” Thor barely glanced at him, but his voice softened considerably and he just said, “yes, you’re damned right it was.”

Relief washed over him. 

A rebellious tear trailed down his cheek and he made no effort to stop it or wipe it away. He had never wanted something so badly as he wanted Thor. All his life he’d chased a feeling—danger, scandal, the wind in his hair, the sun at his back. He’d cheated death and skipped out of Hades more times than he could count just to get the hair to rise on his neck. 

Thor was all of that. 

He had never been more sure of anything in his life. And in the event Thor miraculously let him live and sent him away, he wasn’t sure he would ever move on. 

It stung a little, to have gotten so close. He had managed to pull off the deception of a lifetime, protecting Thor while taking out his competition in one fell swoop, keeping both him and the US agency in the dark. Thinking back on it, he shouldn’t have been able to pull it off. 

But now that he had, he wished there had been another way. If he couldn’t have Thor then he wished he would have put a bullet between his eyes back in the empty storage unit. 

He was so lost in his own misery he didn’t realize Thor had walked over and crouched in front of him. When he finally garnered the strength to look him in the eye he felt tears well up instantly. 

“I wouldn’t think twice about killing another man for this,” Thor said in a rough whisper, smiling bitterly. “But you—“

He looked at Loki for all the world like he’d burned it down in front of him. When tears began to fall down Loki’s cheeks Thor almost made like he was going to wipe them away, then stopped, and his fingers curled into a fist over thin air instead. 

He left him there in the tent, alone.

Loki curled into himself and finally allowed the dam to break. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed, not caring who heard, struggling for air beneath the misery. Once upon a time, ages ago, he had wondered how far people would go for love. The answers had always baffled him. The ends of the earth, really? He had always been a bit aloof, detached in any relationship he attempted and usually in them for personal gain. 

He supposed now, for better or worse, he finally understood.

*

_amour amour_  
_alle wollen nur dich zähmen_  
_amour amour_  
_am Ende gefangen zwischen deinen Zähnen_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, you didn't think I'd end it there, did you? ;) Fear not, the epilogue will be up next week!
> 
> -Art by the lovely [Karu](https://twitter.com/karulatte). <3
> 
> -songs are [Casual Affair by Panic! At the Disco](https://open.spotify.com/track/2zkXavDV9dw8uR0pfhsBt2?si=tyWS2MGdROeRT39iwKLWAw) and [Amour by Rammstein](https://open.spotify.com/track/4tNIRQkZwbtXPVYtaYDiTd?si=XMdAXptnRMSXpYGdVsoSCQ)
> 
> -rough, google translation of the German lyrics below. I LOVE this song, but I only took enough of the language in college to understand a vague idea of what's being said, so if you are a native (or better) speaker than I am and you spot something incorrect please let me know. <3
> 
> "Amour Amour  
Everyone just wants to tame you  
Amour Amour in the end  
Caught between your teeth"


	5. Skyfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [shows up late with starbucks and an IV bag] listen, at this point i hope y'all know me well enough to realize this being late was...inevitable. 
> 
> welcome to the epilogue! it has been an excruciatingly long ride for me to post once a week—i do not do well with delayed gratification—but i did it! thank you all so much for all the love along the way. i'm not the most eloquent when responding to comments, nor the most prompt, but please know that i truly appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart. 
> 
> without further ado, enjoy!

_she said boy don't cry_  
_she said boy don't cry_  
_it's such a beautiful night_  
_lonely boy don't cry_

*

Somebody shuffled him from the tent in the pitch dark early morning. He stumbled a bit on the uneven ground but he went without a fuss, his face puffy and his eyes swollen from crying. He still felt like somebody had ripped a hole in his chest and was frankly a little surprised he’d made it through the night.

They moved him around a lot after that. Some places he flew, some he was driven to, all of them he was treated like unwanted luggage. He didn’t ask many questions. It wasn’t just that he knew he wouldn’t get answers, he was perfectly content to wallow in misery as they moved him from one place to another. Valkyrie was back on staff, back in power and more smug than ever. He knew she was just seconds away from transporting him with a bag over his head, but for all he was paying attention it would have been roughly the same either way. 

And Thor? 

He may as well have never existed for all he saw of him. The most Loki saw was the lobby whenever they checked in to various hotels, but never saw so much as the edge of a polished shoe. Other than that he was confined to a room for all his days, surrounded by Val and a whole guard of her choosing. 

By the time they made it back to Spain, he had given up looking. If Thor didn’t want to see him, he sure as hell wouldn’t be seen. And why should he want to? It was only fair. 

The fortress in Majorca was quiet now. Thor tended to lay low after large deals went down as a precaution, focusing his efforts on his philanthropy and legal enterprises to boost his public persona. The majority of his team had scattered back to their respective homes or vacations. Most notably to Loki was Hela, who took Tyr with her back to England for school a couple days after he got there. Tyr cried and made such a fuss that eventually Loki was able to come downstairs to see them off. The little boy attached himself to Loki and cried into his shirt until his mother gently pried him away so they could go to the airport.

Hela seemed to have cooled with him, but he didn’t miss the fact that she also seemed broken up to leave. Loki presumed Thor’s bruised ego had him playing the situation fairly close to the chest, he probably would have left out several key details when relaying it to his sister, but she seemed to know anyway. For all her airy demeanor, she was far from stupid. She hesitated as she turned to leave, but then pulled him tight and whispered in his ear to be patient before whirling away in a cloud of floaty fabric and the scent of roses that lingered on Loki’s robe. 

It was enough to light a rebellious spark of hope from deep within him. 

He smiled sadly as he watched the car pull out of the driveway and waved to Tyr whose chubby, marker-stained hands were pressed against the window. At least somebody still liked him. Val allowed him to watch until they were halfway down the drive before herding him back to his room. 

And then it was just the two of them. At least he assumed he wasn’t the only one left other than security. His security was lessened substantially after Hela and Tyr left, so he was allowed to wander the house. He started to see glimpses of Thor—illuminated by the soft glow of his lamp in the study, the pretty waves of his hair, loose and ruffled gently by the breeze as he sat on the patio alone. Loki hadn’t thought he could feel any lonelier, but he did. 

Thor wasn’t cruel, but to say the air was chilly around him would be the understatement of the century and it was that cold, tense silence that hurt the most. He wished Thor would fly off the handle and throw a few punches for a change. Nursing a couple bruises would give him something else to think about for at least enough time to catch his breath instead of tiptoeing around him all day.

But he never did. He simply carried on as if Loki didn’t exist.

Days passed. Loki had no access to communication outside the house and he was followed every second of the day. When Valkyrie wasn’t there to gloat over him, Carol was there. Mostly she spent every night at the foot of his bed, reading books until he fell asleep. 

He passed the time reading books, catching up on world news, and playing backgammon against himself until he couldn’t possibly stomach another game. Mostly he thought about Thor. He ached to talk to him. Sometimes he would catch Thor looking at him with the kind of expression that made him feel like maybe he might belong there again one day, but they went by so quick he must have been imagining it. 

They fell into a routine, circling each other like vultures, acutely aware of each other but both stubborn enough to avoid what needed to be said. If there was anything that could be said at this point. Loki was tentatively invited to eat at the dinner table with Thor, or to sit quietly in the study and read, but the moment he tried to speak Thor would get this dark look on his face and leave the room. He learned to take the silence for what it was worth.

**/ Telluride, Colorado // 1830 MST**

Eventually they ended up back in Colorado. Thor owned a cabin in Telluride that was apparently surrounded by other cabins owned by celebrities, with the nearest one a couple miles away through mountain forest. 

It was a warm summer day when it happened. Loki had eaten breakfast, caught up on world news, lolled about lazily on the couch thinking about nothing, and played his favorite game of bothering Carol to see if he could get a rise out of her but it didn’t work. He spent the rest of the day watching netflix and eventually taking his book outside to the porch to watch the sun slowly sink until it would be concealed by the lush expanse of pine trees that surrounded them. 

He didn’t look up as the sliding door opened behind him and Thor padded out onto the deck, an iPad tucked beneath his arm and two beers. He handed one to Loki without comment and took up a seat on the other side of the deck. 

The silence dragged out before them like the lengthening shadows that curled out behind their chairs. Loki buried himself in his book and sipped his beer, grateful for the small token of good faith. The book was relatively interesting, but not his favorite. He tended to prefer fast-paced thriller novels or high fantasy and this was neither. He pinched the bridge of his nose and set it down, tipping the last of his beer into his lips. 

Across the deck, Thor snapped the cover shut on the iPad and tossed it onto the table in front of him. His chair made a loud scraping noise against the deck as he stood, startling Loki.

“Come here,” Thor said, walking over and looking impatient. 

Loki’s heart dropped like a stone. It was the most he’d spoken to him in weeks and he hadn’t expected how emotional it would feel to hear his voice again. He rose to his feet, unsure whether he was walking towards his redemption or, more likely, his death.

Thor’s face gave nothing away as he took Loki’s hands in his, his much larger ones folding over Loki’s in a possessive manner. Loki didn’t dare look him in the eye, instead focusing on the sun-kissed bronze of his skin and the light blonde hair that covered his arms and body. There was no need to look though, he had it all memorized. The way Thor’s blonde hair lay along his arms, the little silver scar along his pinky that he had forgotten to ask about, and the much larger one that ran elbow to thumb on his other arm. He was dressed simply enough today, just a pair of lounge pants and his hair in a loose bun at the base of his neck.

Loki forced himself not to think the worst and took a deep, steadying breath. Thor smelled like the thunder before a storm and the dry, red rocks that had not yet seen rain. 

“Thor,” he whispered, an ache filling him from deep inside until it physically hurt him to breathe. 

“I’m not going to pretend I’ve forgotten what you did,” Thor said briskly. “You betrayed me in the worst possible way and I can’t forget that—”

Loki nodded, waiting for the rest. His hands were finally warm beneath Thor’s touch. His heart fluttered hopefully in his chest and he wished it wouldn’t. He had spent so long learning not to feel.

“Thor, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes. 

Thor’s thumb was warm as he wiped a tear away. Loki inhaled sharply at the touch. He missed the feel of Thor’s skin against his own, even in something as simple as his fingers against his cheek. 

“I miss you,” Thor said pained, and then softly, “goddamn you.”

Loki met his gaze and saw the same pain and the same longing reflected there. He reached up and covered Thor’s hand with his own. 

“I miss you, too,” he whispered. Emotion filled him. “Thor, I—”

He never finished the sentence. With a strangled sound, Thor pulled him in and captured his lips in a frantic kiss, one arm winding around his back, the other sliding gently into his hair. Loki gripped him, desperate to keep him, to have him back. 

He needn’t have worried.

It was like something had unlocked in Thor and it was bleeding out of him all at once. His hands searched the lines of Loki’s body urgently, making up for lost time as they tangled in his hair and grabbed at his hips as if they didn’t know what to touch first. Loki responded with equal fervor, a fire blazing through his veins. 

“I love you,” Thor said between kisses, breathless and earnest. “I love you, I love you.”

The only word Loki remembered was _Thor_.

Thor took him as far as the couch inside and then took him for everything he had to offer until he was sobbing for release. He had never felt so loved before he came, looking into Thor’s eyes, his name on his breath, tears streaming from his face. Thor shouted his name when he came, too, diving in to steal his breath from him as he did. Loki kissed him back, drinking him in as Thor rode his climax out.

When he finally collapsed on top of him, Loki held him there, his tears wetting the soft gold of Thor’s hair as it pressed to his cheek. Too many emotions were at war in his mind, manifesting in the tears and the sniffles and the hiccuping laughter that escaped him until he dissolved into sobs once more. 

Eventually Thor recovered enough to post himself above and press kisses to his face over and over again. Loki basked in the attention, running his hands along Thor’s back over and over again, completely lost in the feeling of Thor’s body draped along every inch of him, sun-soaked and heavy. 

“Darling, if you ever do anything so _moronic_ ever again, I will personally murder you in the most painful way I know how,” Thor said, his voice muffled as he buried his face against Loki’s neck. 

Loki laughed half-heartedly even as his stomach lurched, too soon to find much humorous about what happened. 

Thor didn’t seem to mind that he didn’t answer, content to press lazy, open-mouthed kisses along Loki’s neck and shoulder. Eventually they shifted onto their sides, facing each other in the growing darkness. The light from the fireplace flickered against Thor’s features. It was flattering on him, as everything was, but Loki felt like he appreciated it more tonight. 

He took his time running his fingers lightly along the lines of his face, down his nose, and across his lips. He traced Thor’s sturdy jawline and brushed against his throat, then followed the curve of his collar bone out to his shoulder. 

It was a long time before he realized Thor was watching him, his blue eyes soft and fond. He took his hand back and tucked it between them, right between their hearts. 

“So, what now?” he whispered up at him. “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m technically not supposed to be here. I should be in prison.”

“Oh, yes, I’m aware,” Thor said, a bit smugly.

Loki frowned. “You knew?”

“Darling, of course I knew. I know everything.”

Loki refrained from stating the obvious. How soon was too soon to joke about the whole ordeal? He’d just as soon never find out. 

“What did you have in mind?” he asked. 

“Well, I thought a trip to Bali might do us some good,” Thor mused, placing a kiss against his temple, and another on his jaw. “So I already booked us tickets, but then I found this odd little thing and I wanted to get your input—” he extracted himself from the couch to retrieve his iPad, his fingers danced across the screen. Loki sat up as he handed it to him with a simple, “Here.”

It was a picture, a young man in his early twenties, angular and handsome with soft, green eyes and wavy blonde hair. He had his arms looped gently around a woman with brown hair and heavy lashes, both of them were smiling at the camera. 

_Baldr Laufeyson and Wanda Maximoff invite you to share in their joy..._

His heart leapt into his throat and tears sprang to his eyes. “How—?”

"You didn't think I'd leave any loose ends, did you? I've had a team on your brother since the day I brought you on."

Loki felt his brows knit as he tried to piece everything together in a sloppy timeline in his head. "But—"

“Yes, darling, I'm that good,” Thor said, sounding pleased. “So, do you want to go?”

“I—” Loki stared down at his shitheel little brother and felt something warm him inexplicably from the inside. Baldr would be safe, happy, and Loki would get to show up at his wedding like the piece of shit he was and tell him how happy he was to his infuriating little face. It was a better gift than he ever could have asked for.

He could almost hear the smile on Thor’s lips when he leaned in close to place a kiss against his hair. “Why don’t you pick out a wedding gift and let me worry about the details, hm?”

Loki’s heart swelled as he finally managed to look up. Thor looked the way he always did when he knew he was right, smug and indulgent. If it weren’t for the fact that he was breathtaking in the warm glow of the fire, all golden strands and corded muscle that seemed content to simply sit there next to him and wait for an answer, he would have been extremely punchable. Loki wanted to punch him as much as he wanted to kiss him.

“You realize they’ll be looking for me,” he said instead. “Especially here.”

"Oh, I know," Thor smiled at him like a cat with his prey. “Do you trust me?”

Loki felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck and a thrill run down his spine. 

"Yes, I do."

_fin~_

*

_Thor takes Loki back. Art by Karu._

*

_i am an arms dealer_  
_fitting you with weapons in the form of words_  
_and don't really care which side wins_  
_long as the room keeps singing_  
_that's just the business i'm in_  
_i'm a leading man and the lies i weave are oh so intricate_  
_this ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -once again, all art was done by the lovely [Karu](https://twitter.com/karulatte). 
> 
> -lyrics from [Boy Don't Cry by Tokio Hotel](https://open.spotify.com/track/5tZO2UEvzLxT0oKFYs9wgy?si=rhauP92GQXylrSFLAazWHg) and [This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race by Fall Out Boy](https://open.spotify.com/track/1oagRT7LfpVlNJN6FSZDGp?si=iArShictR4yQCNr2vAxpXA). 
> 
> -lastly, but definitely not least, massive thank you to those of you who have followed along, left kudos, comments, and otherwise taken the time to give this story some love.


End file.
